


A Soundtrack For Life

by MsDamia, tiziano



Series: Music Makes The Multi-Verse Go 'Round [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Action, BAMF Darcy, BAMF Pepper Potts, BtVS and Avengers, Crossover, Dawn Can Be Useful, Drama, Everyone is Badass in their own way, F/M, Feels, Fighting, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Songs, Team Snark, don't question the merging, lots of feels, music makes the world go round, this is pretty much insane, yoga in the park
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-19
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2017-12-08 22:50:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 26,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/766972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsDamia/pseuds/MsDamia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiziano/pseuds/tiziano
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dawn Summers joins the Avengers as the WIC Liason and gets a snazzy costume to go with the awesome job. These are some looks at the lives lead in Avengers Tower and the Madness and Feels that ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Track One - Kiss It All Better by He Is We

Dawn looked around carefully, the lone cool head in a crowd of panic. She had grown up with this sort of thing, well maybe not the alien’s exactly, but certainly the insta-chaos that other worldly creatures brought along with them. Okay, maybe it was a bit smaller scale, but it followed the same sort of structure all other hostile takeovers had. A general with his minions, the true leader staying behind until the opening shots had been shared. She _knew_ this formula like she knew the back of her hand. Her eyes continued to roam, locking in on dangers and the structural damages that would eventually (sooner rather than later) start bringing down buildings around their heads, even as she started issuing orders to the small team of future Slayers and Watchers she had brought to the city for a day of museums. 

“Lara, get the civilians out of the streets! Chuck and Janie, get in that diner and reinforce those windows! Sheryl, Jennifer, Carly, clean up down the block. Check for stragglers and see if you can find somewhere safer to put the diner people.” Dawn was already running forward, her messenger back flipped around to bounce against the back of her hip as she ran the opposite direction that she was sending the kids.

“Where are you going Dawn?” Chuck, the lone boy in the group, called after her. 

“I’m gonna see if I can find out what’s going on. This is not one of those times you get to question my actions and orders, GO!” Dawn didn’t often look forbidding or stern, not since her angsty (one might even be able to make an argument for emo) teenage phase. When she sent you the look that said she wasn’t in the mood to be crossed, most people stopped pushing her buttons. Chuck went to the diner with Janie on his six.

Dawn ran down the center of the street, eyes going to Stark Tower and the insane portal that had opened above it, the one that had the crazy alien’s spilling out of it. She spotted police talking to a man in a mostly blue suit that did wonderful things to his physique. She watched as the man with the large round shield paused while he talked to them and took out a handful of aliens. Aliens, how surreal was that? Even for someone that fought demons on a regular basis. As the man in blue turned back to the police one of them started issuing orders to the rest. 

The police didn’t have time to speak with her, she understood that. Instead Dawn watched as the man in blue was joined by a woman with red curls in a catsuit. With Iron Man zipping about and a blond in scandinavian armor and a hammer that looked much prettier than the Troll Hammer currently at the Cleveland School Dawn was pretty sure they were a team. Aliens coming out from above Stark Tower, possible Alien attack in Munich. Iron Man pissed off. Ok, so aliens hijacked Stark Tower and possibly some of the Stark Toys before launching a full scale invasion. Sadly there was only three slayers assigned to the five boroughs and none of them were on the right island. Well they were scheduled to be anyhow. 

Dawn made her way back to her students and found more chaos. The reptilian creatures were crawling down the sides of buildings and jumping down to the street. Her Slayers (she’d brought 3) were all in the streets using improvised weapons, the Watchers in training were trying to get the civilians out of the poorly defended diner and into a brick building with less windows. A hand slipped into the messenger bag behind her and pulled out a pair of sais that she held in a comfortably loose grip, they were her short range weapon of choice, and she never left home without them. Then again, her Slayers hadn’t left home without a few surprises either, but small knives were easily lost and they didn’t have Faith’s strange ability to hide her weight in metal in her leather pants without anything being visible. 

“Bipedal, no visible eyes, throat and head take them down, center mass is iffy,” Sheryl called to her when Dawn was in range to hear her. The older brunette needed no further encouragement. She was The Slayer’s sister after all. She lost herself to the dance, slink in close, slam a fork up into the soft part under the chin and the other into the side of the skull and _twist_ so they don’t get back up. It leaves you vulnerable for a few moments, but it’s worth it to continue to take them all out. Until she notes that more of the creatures are there, and there is less banter being bandied about behind her. She can’t stop fighting, even when she see’s long auburn curls trailing across a puddle of blood. Sheryl was a Slayer, for all the she was 14 years old, and she couldn’t have stopped the girl from fighting. Dawn made her way over and checked the girl’s pulse, but it was too late. 

“Get out of the street.” Dawn could be LOUD when she needed to be. She had to make herself heard over the top of the Scoobies after all, so it had been a talent she’d perfected before leaving for college. Dawn shoved the sais between her belt and her jeans, catching the prongs outside the leather so they wouldn’t go anywhere before she picked up Sheryl’s retractable staff and began backing up to the building she’d order her kids to get into. The creatures were coming as well. Dawn glanced over her shoulder and then back to the advancing horde, and then decided to do something monumentally stupid. “Close the door, blockade it and do not let anyone in until all of these things are dead,” She shouted. She was heading to the portal.

There was arguing and shouting, but Dawn ignored it, rushing forward and slamming the staff into the ground to throw herself up and over one of the advancing aliens. It turned but she was already slamming the titanium into it’s throat and kicking forward at it’s knees. Most creatures had weak joints, at least on Earth, and it appeared these things did as well. She took to taking out a knee after that, moving toward Stark Tower and only gaping once at the giant flying whale thing. If you caused enough of a distraction they left the others alone. She wanted them following her, not going after the others. Dawn lost track of time, but she found the man in blue. 

“Ma’am it’s not safe out here, you need to find somewhere to hide,” The man yelled, throwing out his shield. Dawn didn’t bother with words, she didn’t have energy to spare on them as she slammed the end of the staff into the ground and used it to boost a solid kick into the face of one one of the flying creatures that had come down a bit low. The blue guy didn’t argue after that, he just offered shouted direction now and then. 

Iron Man flew by with what looked like a missile not long later. Dawn was distracted enough that one of the creatures was able to shoot at her and she didn’t quite dodge it that time. The brunette flew backwards a short way and slammed painfully onto the concrete, her head bouncing hard against the unforgiving pavement. She must have cried out because the blue man was suddenly there, blocking any attempts on her while she was down. Dawn coughed a little and wiped a shaky fist against a lip that had been split some time before. She got shakily up to her feet, pulling the sais back out of her belt since she’d lost the staff. She gripped them loosely, and blinked away her double vision. She did not have time for that. 

“Are you alright?” The man was asking, eyeballing her warily. Dawn flashed him a smirk she had picked up long ago from Spike. 

“I’m peachy.” She stepped forward and was once again in battle, catching a gun here and slamming her weapons into the elbow and throat. She went for the soft spots with vicious intent, they’d taken out one of her girls and she was going to take out as many of them as she could. There was too much of her sister in her for Dawn to give up the fight at this point. Even as the double vision grew more pronounced and she started feeling light headed and shaky. Blue Dude stepped forward and slammed his striped shield into the face of one of the things as it tried to sneak up on her and Dawn wobbled, struggling to keep upright as she pressed a hand into her side and felt nothing but warm dampness. “Wel,l it was fun while it lasted.” She offered the tall man (she appreciated height in a man as she was just shy of 6 feet herself) with a smirk. That was the moment when all of the aliens chose to fall out of the sky and stop moving. 

Dawn didn’t make it much longer before she was falling as well. Later there would be footage of Captain America gripping an unconscious and rather battered looking Dawn as she bled down the front of his uniform and he surrounded Iron Man with the rest of the team and Tony quipped about Shwarma and Captain America needing a new harem since the USO girls were now geriatric.


	2. Track 2 - Mad Season by Matchbox 20

Dawn woke up in a hospital bed wearing a soft cotton shirt and drawstring shorts, neither of which were hers. She was attached to a banana bag and IV that probably involved pain medication since she felt that funny fuzzy feeling that meant her skin was numb at the moment. The hole in her side had been patched and all of the other bumps and bruises and scratches had been cleaned up as well. She didn’t know why she needed a cast but her right forearm was encased in one, too bad she hadn’t been conscious enough to ask for one of the awesome lime green ones. 

Dawn’s eyes carefully inspected the room, her weapons and bag were not there. So either she had lost them all, which would be terrible in the case of the sais since she’d had them for so long, or she wasn’t allowed to have her personal effects which would be all kinds of bad. Not the least of which was, because her phone had been in that bag and no one would be able to get ahold of her. 

“You’re awake, good.” A large man in an eyepatch was standing in the doorway. His head was bald, his goatee was neat and his black leather jacket was concealing at least two guns. She sat up and winced a bit as her side sent a jolt of pain. 

“I’d say don’t do that, but your file tells me there wouldn’t be much of a point.” The man continued. “No one in the WIC board seems to like being told what to do.” He stepped into the room and settled down in a chair beside her.

“Good call, Black Beard.” Dawn retorted instantly, still sitting up and adjusting her own pillows. “Where are my things?” He pointed toward a closed door.

“You’re charges have been picked up by Principal Wood out of Cleveland and the WIC is currently trying to get hold of me so that I can release you to their care.” He continued, a bit of a grin playing at the corner of his mouth.

“I take it you’re a hard man to get hold of.” Dawn stated, trying to figure out his angle. He’d told her where she was, the door was still open, he had told her where the kids were, that her family was trying to get her released (and if they were going through official channels she wasn’t in danger.)

“The footage we have of you fighting alongside Captain America is impressive. Joining in on that fight was stupid and reckless.” Fury told her, his voice even and his eye assessing. Dawn frowned at him.

“They killed one of my girls. Only fair to kill off as many of them as I could.” She told him, watching his eye as she kept her own face blank.

“You were heading toward the portal Ms. Summers.” He put it out there, no accusation in his voice as he continued to watch her. She narrowed her eyes in response, wondering how he could be so sure of that.

“That’s where I could do the most damage.” She informed him with a bare moments pause.

“You were going to try and close the portal on your own. We know more about you than you might think Ms. Summers. You and your sister and your entire organization.” Fury informed her, watching her face carefully. 

“Who are you?” She asked after a moment, more curious than wary. Buffy always said her curiosity would be the death of her.

“I’m Director Fury, head of S.H.E.I.L.D. and I would like to offer you a position on the Avengers.” He was still watching her, his head tilted to gauge her response. Dawn had the feeling that even with one eye he still saw more than most. 

“Why me?” Dawn wasn’t the special one, that was Buffy’s schtick. 

“We’ve been keeping an eye on you for some time Ms. Summers. You are one of the worlds foremost linguistic experts, despite your young age, and you can hold your own in a fight against multiple foes all of whom have far more strength than you. Then there is your understanding of portals such as the one over Stark Tower.” Fury raised an eyebrow as he said the last part and Dawn grinned a little bit, wondering if he really did know or just had suspicions. 

“Tell me more about SHEILD and the Avengers.” She offered.


	3. Track 3 - Starships by Nicki Minaj

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn will not answer to Bambi.

A week of meetings with the Scoobies followed by another week of meetings with S.H.E.I.L.D. and Dawn was officially the WIC liaison to the Avengers. She had tried to argue her way out of a uniform, but Fury insisted that if she was fighting alongside the Avengers she was not only getting a uniform, but a callsign. Hill and Romanoff wore catsuits that not only left them looking hot as hell, but let them move as they fought and Dawn was not at all surprised that she was getting stuck with one as well. Romanoff’s was solid leather and built for her impressively hourglass figure. Hill’s was styled more along the lines of the official S.H.E.I.L.D. uniforms. Dawn was thinner than both, built willowy with insanely long legs. She knew she was going to look like a giraffe.

When the suit came in (the next day … she didn’t want to know how they had her measurements) and Dawn tried it on she was pleasantly surprised. It looked like leather but it wasn’t. There was give to it. Dawn had tried it on, zipping the legs shut down her calf before pulling on knee high boots that zipped on the inside of her legs. There was no heel on the boots, which was good because that would have been an accident waiting to happen. The front zipped up to her collarbone with a snap across the zipper so it wouldn’t come open as she fought. Her suit was sleeveless and a soft brown color that was almost faun and had the same collar that Romanoff’s did, but since it was open in the front she didn’t feel like she was being strangled. There were fingerless gloves with a solid chunk of metal over the knuckles that attached to forearm braces that covered her from wrist to elbow. 

Dawn walked out of the changing room to cross her arms over her chest and cock a hip to the side. “If my callsign is Bambi I’m shooting one of you.” She informed Sitwell and Fury. The rest of the Avengers were there as well, all of them dressed in their suits and looking over their weaponry. 

“I was thinking Rafael myself,” Tony remarked as Dawn pulled up a thick leather holster that matched her suit and buckled it on over her hips and thighs before loading it up with her preferred weapons, sais behind her hips, retractable titanium staff on her right calf, collapsible cross bow on her back and a pair of 9mm glocks on the front of her hips with extra clips. She’d wanted a sword, but Fury nixed that until she was able to spar with her team while wielding the thing. Apparently he thought it was outdated. 

“As per WIC rules, this is also yours.” Dawn was handed a high tech mask that wrapped around her head to cover her eyes and ears. Low buns for her hair then. Tony checked the fit around her head before he continued. “The controls are over your ears, but it’s synced into Jarvis, so anything you need he can help you with as well.”

“Jarvis?” Dawn asked, she’d met the AI at Stark Tower, but was a bit surprised it would be in her headset.

“Hello Miss Summers, voice print has been ensured, you are the only one that can control the features on this device.” The AI told her in it’s warm british voice 

“Thank you Jarvis.” Dawn looked over all of her teammates, statistics rolling in front of her eyes. Heart rates, weapon signatures, heat signatures. Fury had six guns on his person. Impressive, she’d only noticed 4. 

“Welcome to the Avengers Lynx.” Fury told her, ignoring the single eyebrow that Dawn raised.

“I like Bambi better.” Tony replied instantly. Dawn flipped him off and the team trooped off for it’s first practice fight.


	4. Track 4 - Homecoming Queen by Hinder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maria Hill as a few questions regarding Dawn Summers.

“Sir, about Summers,” Hill was standing in the doorway of Fury’s office, a concerned look on her face as she watched her boss. A meeting had just ended regarding the Avengers and he could see that his second in command had a few lingering doubts.

“What about her?” Fury asked, folding his hands before him so that he wouldn’t fidget. He didn’t like sitting still and it made him edgy to have people standing while he was sitting so his itchy fingers tried to get to his guns. So Nick folded his hands together and focused on Maria instead.

“The WIC is well known for not playing well with other agencies. As for Summers, she has no structure in her background. She’s moved more times than anyone not military should and she doesn’t do well with authority figures, even those she helped place in a position of power.” Maria hadn’t questioned her director in front of others, but when it was the two of them she had no problem asking for clarification. It was what made her invaluable to his services, but also what made him wonder if she would be a good leader.

“Summers is a member of the Avengers. If anything she’s our contact to the WIC rather than their liaison with us. She is an excellent fighter, her years of training with the Slayers have honed her skills as well as her senses. That paired with her knowledge of magic and languages make her an invaluable member of our team.” Fury steepled his fingers as he stared at Hill, waiting for her next question.

“How can you be sure she’s ours first?” Hill asked, staring straight at him. Fury smirked a bit as he leaned back in his chair.

“Summers needs to feel needed. Her skills are under appreciated and often ignored at the WIC and it has made her feel irrelevant.Being a part of the Avengers gives her something to fight for once again, it gives her a place where she is the equal to Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. She was ours before the Chitauri Invasion had stopped, she just hadn’t know it yet.” His smile might be a bit smug right now, but that was because he had enticed one of the WIC’s best agents out from under their noses without them even realizing.

“So she needs validation for her efforts?” Maria asked dryly, her lips pursed a bit as she stared at her boss.

“They all need validation. That’s why the agreed to this in the first place. Summers is ours, trust me.” Fury nodded in dismissal and Maria snapped to attention before leaving his office. For his part the director of SHIELD scratched idly under his eye-patch and looked down at the heavy file still sitting on the desk before him. “Now let’s just hope they’re worth all this damn paperwork.”


	5. Track Five - Carry On by Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going to medical leads to ogling & ice cream.

It wasn’t all fighting for the new formed Avengers. Well, it was a lot of fighting. There was a lot of time doing other things as well though. Dawn had a suite in the Tower, just like the other Avengers, and downstairs were the science labs. Tony invented things (and blew things up, but Pepper tried to keep that to a minimum.) Bruce Banner was doing all kinds of experiments that Dawn didn’t always understand and Jane Foster was there working on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge so that her hunk of man-meat could come and go as he pleased. Dawn got put on decryption and attempting to decode the Chitauri language since there were still more of the creatures on Earth. 

“Foodage, get it while it’s hot.” Darcy Lewis popped her head in and called to Dawn before heading back out to the other room. Darcy was interesting. If Spike and Faith had somehow spawned a mouthy sarcastic brat, Darcy would be the product. She kind of adored the snarky young woman, and she was one of the closest to Dawn’s own age. Well … technically so was Steve. Dawn saved her programs and locked her computer before heading upstairs to the main kitchen. Those that lived in the Tower tended to take turns making dinner. Or ordering it in as the case may be. 

Joining The Avengers had kind of been like gaining a really big family. People argued and snarked (Tony liked to push everyone’s buttons) and defended one another, and there was a camaraderie Dawn had never experienced before. When one was attacked, they were all attacked. They had each others backs. It was strange and exciting and kind of comfortable. Like an old sweatshirt that had been worn to nearly rags. 

“Do I smell lasagna?” Tony was sniffing at the air like a hound as Dawn stepped out of the stairs and into the hallway.

“Darcy just called me up to dinner.” Dawn promised him as he waggled his eyebrows and sniffed at the air once more. “You might want to wash that … whatever it is off your hands.” She commented as she spotted his black streaked fingers.

“Engine grease,” He waved off her comments as they walked into the kitchen area and he made a beeline for the food. 

“Wash your hands, Tony!” Pepper was there in her pencil skirt and 5 inch heels, looking immaculate as always as she frowned at her boyfriend like he was some kind of recalcitrant child. 

“Told you so,” Dawn sing songed as she pushed past him to get to the food. There was an actual dining room somewhere on the floor, but no one ever used it. The breakfast nook and little table beside it was more than enough to hold all of them and that was usually where all of them ended up.

“Dawn could I draw some more blood for a new test?” Bruce asked as he took a bite of his salad. At first Dawn hadn’t wanted to trust the mousy looking man, not because of his green alter ego, she just didn’t trust vegetarians. 

“Sure, after dinner?” She asked as she shoveled the cheesy concoction of sausage and marinara into her mouth. Darcy might not know physics, but she certainly knew spices. It was delicious. 

“Upstairs in medical, it’s gonna be a bit more than last time.” He warned. Dawn nodded and continued shoveling food into her mouth. She ate almost as much as Steve and Clint, her metabolism being insanely fast. 

“You know, one of these days I’m going to post a video of you eating on the internet,” Tony remarked as he poured Pepper a glass of red wine and then did the same for Dawn and Natasha. Darcy and Jane preferred beer. 

“Girl’s shouldn’t be afraid of eating to fit into societal idea’s of what is right.” Natasha pointed out immediately as she took a bite of the lasagna. 

“Girls should be fit, not skinny, there’s a difference.” Pepper agreed immediately. Those who had been to the woman’s office would see both a rowing machine and an elliptical that she used throughout the day. The woman had her body because she worked at it.

“Besides, there’s nothing wrong with a little extra padding, some guys dig it.” Darcy grinned wolfishly over at Clint who winked back at her. 

“Besides if you did that the rumors would just change from my being anorexic to my being bulimic.” Dawn informed the man after she swallowed her food. Tony liked to press buttons, but he did care about them. He just didn’t like it when people accused him of being nice. The conversation changed and when they were finished Dawn followed Bruce down the hall to get her blood drawn.

“You said a bit more, not a freaking truckload.” Dawn said some time later, crabby and pale from blood loss. 

“You’re body will replenish it by tomorrow, you have an amazing ability to heal.” Bruce told her, dismissing her concern as he taped up the inside of her elbow. She glared at him, but Bruce was unaffected by it, the damn zen master. He was almost as good as Oz. 

“Whatever, I’m getting a cookie,” Dawn pouted as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. Bruce waved her off and Dawn made her way down the hall, her ears ringing the tiniest bit.

“Dawn?” A concerned voice called her name as she decided to rest against the wall for a moment with her eyes closed.

“Yes, Steve?” She asked, glancing over her shoulder at the tall man. 

“Do you need to get to Medical?” He asked, looking at her pale face and the light sheen of sweat on her brow.

“I need to get away from Medical.” She informed him with a frown. “Blood draw. I need apple juice and a cookie.” 

She didn’t mind at all when the tall man looped an arm around her waist and walked her out to the kitchen where he found her ice cream, which was a thousand times better than a cookie. She especially enjoyed the view she had when he was bent over and digging around the bottom of the freezer.


	6. Track Six - Some Nights by Fun.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exit strategies are always a good thing.

They had been fighting for what seemed like hours against Dr. Doom. The man’s name might be lame, but he was smart and had minions who didn't mind at all trying to kill everyone the man wanted out of his way. Including the Avengers. 

Once upon a time Dawn had been taught it was wrong to kill humans. That they killed demons, and even then only the evil ones. The rest they let live in peace. That was when she was on the outside looking in at the Scoobies. Then she’d joined the WIC as a researcher and occasionally a fill-in Watcher. She’d learned sometimes you had to take down a human, usually a witch or warlock far too gone to ever bring back to the side of good. Now she was part of the Avengers, and as an Avenger you took out those who tried to take you out or you ended up dead. Dawn was putting her Lua to good use these days, breaking and dislocating bones at the joints with a fierce concentration that many found frightening. 

“Package acquired,” Natasha’s voice ran through her head and the entire team began the retreat. That was when the blast doors began to lower.

“Lynx?” She was running for the door when she felt the bullet hit her in the back. It didn't puncture the suit, but it did make her trip and fall. She scrambled back to her knees and watched as the doors closed with her still in the building. 

“God damnit, I don’t have time to get kidnapped.” Dawn growled, getting back to her feet. She had a sai in each hand now and she dove straight into the tight grouping of soldiers, stabbing and slamming her elbows and knees and trying to ignore the throbbing in her back from the bullet. She was gonna have a nasty bruise from that. Thank the goddess for kevlar lining though. 

“Hang tight Lynx, we are working on a quick extraction.” Cap informed her, the sound of explosions on his side of the comms made Dawn frown. 

“Negative Cap, I’ve got it covered. Jarvis, get me to the roof,” Dawn took off at a run following the schematic that was now in front of her. She loved this freaking visor. Five flights of stairs later she kind of hated the visor and wished there was an elevator.

“Ms. Summers, enter this room and blockade the door. It has an entrance to the attic.” Jarvis informed her. Dawn tucked her sais back into their sheaths and kicked open the door before she shoved a dresser over in front of the entrance before looking up at the ceiling. A square opening she would have to shove up. She maneuvered a small side table into position and climbed up, shoving the square board up and over and hauling herself up just as the first man got through the door. Dawn pulled her gun and shot him in the face. Him and the next two through the door. Their bodies helped block the door as she pulled herself all the way in and looked around a glorified crawlspace. 

“Jarvis, we need to have a talk about what constitutes an attic,” She informed him dryly, holstering the gun and heading toward the spot of light ahead of her.

“Of course, Ms. Summers.” Jarvis sounded a bit amused and Dawn shook her head a little. She got to the window as Doom’s goons started shooting at her again. She dove down, covering her head as they shot out the window in front of her. 

“Shit!” She cursed loudly as she rolled over and got hit by ANOTHER bullet! Dawn was now offended. She pulled her own guns and started firing back, her back against the wall beside the window as she bit her lip in concentration. This time the bullet had hit her thigh and that part didn't have Kevlar, but at least it was just the fleshy part on the outside. 

“Down Dawn!” Tony’s voice was in her ears and she crashed to the floor an instant before the wall exploded inward and Iron Man took out her attackers. Dawn holstered her guns and shook wall debris off before climbing up onto the broken portion and leaping over to Iron Man, wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped one of his around her waist

“We’re meeting the others at the Quinjet. Jarvis, prep medical.” Tony’s comm was linked to her’s right now, but no one else commented so Dawn was fairly certain he was talking to her alone. Smart, no need to make them worry about a little through and through on the thigh.


	7. Track 7 -  Santa Monica by Theory of a Deadman

“You like it better there than here!” Her sister’s voice was accusing and a little hurt as the blond pouted at her from the screen. Dawn paused her reading to glare at the other woman.

“You’re supposed to be the mature one. Knock it off.” Dawn retorted. Buffy’s face cleared up instantly as she shrugged. It always worked on Robin and Giles.

“Whatever, you’re the one that never calls.” Buffy told her younger sister, glancing pointedly at the books Dawn was going through.

“What? Like you aren’t a workaholic? I know you’re going through emails right now.” Dawn told her with a raised eyebrow.

“Emails aren’t the same as reading a book!” Buffy insisted, glaring at the camera so her sister would know she was serious. 

“They are exactly the same. You could just do some kata’s instead. At least that way you wouldn’t be all fidgety and cranky.” Dawn informed her. Then it would be like they were still at the castle together; Buffy practicing as Dawn read a book off to the side as they talked about their days. 

“I’m not cranky, I’m worried. I keep watching news footage with you in it. I saw the clip with Iron Man carting you off with a blood covered leg.” Buffy told her, adjusting the camera to do exactly as Dawn suggested and start a simple kata. 

“Flesh wound,” Dawn waved off her concern. “Some stitches and I was good to go. If it had been worse I would have called you. It’s not like you don’t throw yourself in front of danger every night.” 

“The difference is I have super powers.” Buffy retorted.

“Technically I do too,” Dawn reminded her. The blonde rolled her eyes.

“Opening portals with your blood and some uber concentration is not the same as being able to take on a tank with your bare hands,” Buffy informed her.

“But it’s good in an emergency!” Dawn retorted brightly.

“Next time you get hurt call me before I see it on the news please,” Buffy responded before the conversation turned to the men of the Avengers and their physical accoutrements.


	8. Track 8 - Wild Ones by Flo Rida

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drinks, Dancing & MASH

They were dressed to impress. Natasha wore a barely there backless black dress and four inch heels, Darcy was in snug jeans and a sparkly halter top which barely contained the girls, Dawn in insanely short shorts with suspenders and a Beatles tank top. They were leaving the tower and heading to an insane club, dancing and drinking the night away. The girls skipped ahead of the line, Nat kissing the bouncer on the cheek as the three went straight in and hit the bar before bouncing up to the dance floor. 

Boys came and went, the trio danced with them and then sent them on their way. They were there to relax away from the emergencies of world threatening proportions. Natasha insisted on vodka shots every half hour and in between she drank dirty martini’s while the other two sipped girlier drinks and insisted on random shots with dirty names. 

They were a giggling mess dancing the night away. Their worries were shoved out of the way for the moment, all that was left was friends and music and a crowd of people trying to get away from all of their worries as well. 

It was 2:30 when Tony swung by the club to bring the girls home. He paid their tab, raising his eyebrow at the amount, but proud of them for letting their inner lushes out. He smiled in amusement as they kissed the bouncer on the cheek while they left, waving gaily and stumbling into the limo and blasting music which made Happy close the window between the front and back of the vehicle. Tony herded the trio into the elevator and into the living area. 

“Music, Jarvis! Something we can dance to!” Dawn commanded as the three bounced into the living area, kicking off their shoes and laughing as they half stumbled into each other. Clint and Steve came to see what the noise was and joined Tony as he had a nightcap and chuckled at the ladies’ antics. They were adorable. 

“Steve, come dance with us!” Dawn called, twisting her hips and bouncing on her toes at the same time.

“I don’t know how to dance.” Steve told her, a grin on his lips as she pouted.

“No one really knows how to dance, you do what the music tells you to!” She shouted, Natasha and Darcy cheering her on. 

“How much did you guys have to drink?” Clint asked after a while. Darcy stopped dancing to think about it, swaying despite herself. 

“A lot.” She responded decisively before getting back to dancing.

It took Pepper coming out to see what was going on to get the girls headed toward their bedrooms. Pepper coaxing Natasha and Clint helping a completely blitzed Darcy to their rooms. Later that night Clint would be holding back thick dark curls and trying not to laugh as Darcy planned her own funeral. 

“I don’t want to go to bed!” Dawn informed Tony and Steve as soon as Pepper was out of earshot. 

“How about you just go to your room?” Tony suggested.

“Nope. I wanna watch MASH. Jarvis?” She called out to the ceiling as she stumbled over to one of the couches.

“Of course, Ms. Summers.” The TV came on with Hawkeye smiling at Frank while the other man sputtered.

“Come watch MASH with me guys!” Dawn smiled brightly, not noticing her speech was slurred in the least. 

“I got it.” Steve promised as Tony laughed. The tall man sat down beside Dawn and got into the show as she answered all of his questions. A few episodes in and the young woman was fast asleep at the end of the couch. It was short work to lift her and drop her off in her own bed.

The next morning Dawn and Darcy were hungover and Natasha looked perfectly fine.


	9. Track 9 - Whistle by Flo Rida

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you have to make the first move.

He had never seen eyes that shade of blue before, the pale blue of of sunset, just before the sun begins turning the sky to purples and pinks. The light dusting of freckles over her pale skin was a distraction, as was her long brown hair with all it’s golden and russet highlights. She was beautiful, with legs for days, a sarcastic sense of humor, and a brain that processed things at speeds which gave Tony a run for his money. He was hopelessly head over heels in something with her. That’s probably why she was able to land a solid punch to his nose before he got an arm up to stop her. 

“Seriously Steve, will you pay attention?” Dawn crossed her arms under her bust and glared at him, her lightly glossed lips frowning just a bit as she stared him down and one hip jutted out a bit. 

“I’m sorry, Dawn.” Steve rubbed his nose as the tip of his ears turned red. He had to get control of himself before things got out anymore out of hand. He kept slipping into fantasies of the other woman that involved dinners in the park and holding hands at beaches and kissing those lightly glossed lips of hers while her eyes fluttered closed. It was stupid. He was out of his element here in too many ways. No way would someone as smart and sassy as Dawn Summers ever be interested in someone like him. 

“If you don’t want to spar say so, it’s ok to be distracted sometimes. Tasha is looking lonely, I can go spar with her.” Dawn offered with a slight sigh, unknotting her arms to pat him on the shoulder and head for Natasha. Steve scrubbed his hands over his face and didn’t sigh out loud as he wandered over to his gym bag. He paused and looked over at the two women, they had vastly different fighting styles, but it still managed to look like a dance. Dawn sliding under a spinning kick from Nat and Nat flipping back to get away from a three punch combo from Dawn. They were poetry. Steve pulled out his sketchbook and pencils and began to draw the two as they fought. He kept it to the simple lines, he could fill in more details later. He filled a few pages with the two of them fighting before flipping back to another picture, one of Dawn sitting in one of the Tower’s large window seats, a book propped up on her knees as she stared out the window with a soft smile on her face. 

“Is this why you’re distracted Mr. Rogers?” Her voice was soft beside his ear and her turned his head to the left, his own blue eyes wide in surprise. She was close, almost too close and a quick glance around the room showed no Natasha.

“Uh … I..” He couldn’t seem to bring forth words to defend himself or explain that he found her the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Dawn reached over and flipped a few pages, most of which starred herself. Her eyes locked onto his once more.

“You know, I’ve been waiting for you to make the first move. I figured you’d be more comfortable that way. Wouldn’t be the first time I was wrong.” She leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly to his. It was a soft kiss, sweet and a bit innocent. She pulled back and cocked her head to the side, a smirk on her lips.

“Would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow?” He asked, a smile spreading across his lips.

“Pick me up at 7.” She stood up straighter and sashayed off with a smile on her face.


	10. Track 10 - Mean by Taylor Swift

Dawn was sitting cross legged on the large red couch in front of the TV, which was playing a trashy talk show which was currently discussing The Avengers. They were showing snippets of each of them fighting and then discussing the forms, and of course, what public opinion was of them. 

Hulk was deemed scary but impressive. They called him a monster and she was glad Bruce didn’t hear it because he already thought badly enough about himself. Iron Man, Tony Stark, was as impressive as always. Everyone adored Tony, even if they didn’t want to. There was something about the billionaire which called to everyone. Hawkeye was impressive with his muscled arms and complete concentration. Women loved to objectify him. Thor was larger than life and had fought his brother to save Earth all because it was the right thing to do … and he was in love with an Earth Woman. The critics loved that sappy romantic crap. Steve was Captain Freaking America. They loved him and it was no wonder why. He was a bona fide WWII hero and after 70 years on ice he was still ready to fight the good fight. Plus he looked damn good in that suit of his. 

Natasha was hot. Even the women agreed. The Black Widow had impressive curves and even more impressive fighting skills. She always had that look of intense concentration and she leaped and dove and those widow bites of hers were deemed as sexy a weapon as anyone could ever wish for. It wasn’t any wonder to Dawn. After all Natasha was one of the most impressive people she had ever met. 

Then there was Dawn. Lynx with the eyes no one could see and the leather suit which made her look practically anorexic and what kind of an image was that for girls to look up to? They showed footage of Dawn slamming a fist into the face of a bad guy and then shaking her hand out before turning to make a quip to Hawkeye, who the guy had been trying to sneak up on. So of course they were talking about flirting, and yes she could obviously fight and do quite a bit of damage, but what else did she bring to the team? She hadn’t done anything as obviously impressive as the rest of them had, and while her visor was impressive to look at it was obviously a Stark Toy of some sort. 

Dawn turned off the program and stared at nothing for a few minutes while her brain tried to process things. That was the fourth show she’d watched (Tony liked to record anything he might be on) and all of them had pretty much asked why she was on the team. 

“Jarvis, is the target room occupied?” She stood up, avoiding shiny surfaces so that she wouldn’t have to look at herself. 

“It is currently empty, would you like me to keep it so for you?” Jarvis might be an AI, but he could modulate his voice and right now it sounded sympathetic. She loved him a little bit for that.

“Please do. I need some time to think.” Dawn stopped by her rooms and pulled a set of well used throwing knives off of her wall. All of her weapons were stored on the walls, for both decoration and easy reach. She didn’t bother changing out of her pajama pants and hello kitty tank top before heading upstairs to the target room. 

She pulled the knives into her hand and then started throwing them one after another at stationary targets, moving further back as she hit the bullseyes. Then she asked Jarvis to start the motion targets which would be circling slowly around her. She had them go faster and faster and then start moving randomly. She was covered in a sheen of sweat and her arms felt shaky when Tony finally came in to check on her. 

“Picturing faces on those targets?” The man asked, a singly eyebrow raised. Dawn shook out her arms and cracked her neck loudly.

“What do I bring to the team?” Dawn asked as she collected her knives.

“An amazing pair of legs.” Tony’s response was instantaneous, a smirk on his mouth. Dawn sent him an unimpressed look over her shoulder. Tony shrugged and walked forward to pluck one of her knives, inspecting the simple design of the blade and hilt. “You even us out. You’re a realist rather than a dreamer or an idealist. We need someone who questions orders, because they don’t make sense rather than just to be argumentative. Rogers and Romanoff and Barton, they do what they are told. Me? I don’t do well with anyone except Pepper telling me what to do. Thor and Banner will question things, but in the end they mostly just kind of go with it. You question things and point out what isn’t right in a scenario and you won’t let it go. You’re here to keep us honest. I mean, the Cap is pretty good at that too, but Fury listens to you. Maybe its because you aren’t really SHEILD, but either way, that’s a hell of a thing Summers.”

“But am I important enough to keep around? Am I your red shirt?” Dawn asked, her voice soft as she ran a finger over the flat of one of her blades. 

“First off, I applaud your reference. Second there are no red shirts in this outfit. Don’t listen to the tabloid reporters. They don’t know what you’re hiding up your sleeves. They don’t know about these,” Tony tossed her knife of the table, “And they certainly don’t know what you can do with a couple drops of your blood and a ten second window of opportunity. They don’t know how many languages you speak and understand. They don’t know you at all Dawn. The rest of us? What we do is all right there for everyone to see. You’re an ace in the hole.”

“Thanks Tony,” Dawn smiled up at him and Tony clapped a hand on her shoulder.

“Not a problem. Just don’t mention it to anyone else, I have a reputation you know.” Tony grinned unrepentantly as he backed out of the room, Dawn shaking her head as she followed him.


	11. Track 11 - Keep On Swinging by Rival Sons

“Just so you know, I’m picturing you naked in the shower right now,” Dawn announced, blazing into Steve’s room without bothering to knock. She pouted a bit when she found him sitting in a chair, completely clothed. “Darn.”

“Good morning Dawn.” Steve smiled as Dawn walked right over and sat on his lap. 

“Good morning handsome. I was gonna make pancakes. You in?” She pressed a kiss to the outside corner of his mouth, grinning when he turned and did the same thing to her.

“I’m always in for food.” Steve replied, standing up as she hopped off his lap. She grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen, shooing him off to one of the seats at the island as she pulled out the ingredients she’d need for pancakes from scratch. Thank god Tony paid for their food with as much crap as they devoured and the high end products Jarvis ordered for them. 

“Chocolate chip pancakes!” Dawn announced, practically bouncing as she pulled out a bag of mini chocolate chips and held them up. Steve smiled at her excitement resting his chin on his crossed fists as he watched her bounce around the kitchen. “Jarvis, mood music please, something bluesy, but with a nice fast beat, more modern than retro.” Dawn requested. Jarvis complied instantly and Dawn grinned as she started dancing about the kitchen instead of bouncing. 

Hips swung to the music, her entire body undulating as she poured batter onto the skillet and started singing along to the music. Heavy cream and a sugar made their way onto the counter just before Dawn grabbed the blender and started eyeballing ingredients rather than doing any actual measuring. Soon enough she was making whipped cream and setting it off to the side to start flipping pancakes.

“Ooh, are those chocolate chip?” Darcy demanded, forgetting she was going to complain about the music. Dawn nodded and twisted her hips some more to the music. Darcy dismissed her previous ire and got into the music, dancing with Dawn, careful to keep out of the way so she could get some pancakes too. Her pajamas consisted of rather short blue shorts, an oversized USC sweatshirt which had seen better days and knee high socks. She grooved beside Dawn in her Hello Kitty fleece pants and cropped pink tank top which showed off a bit of her burgeoning 6 pack. 

“I thought you were _stopping_ the music,” Clint commented as he padded out in a holey shirt to take up residence on the stool beside Steve.

“The chocolate chip pancakes won the argument!” Darcy informed him as she set to work grinding beans to make a large pot of coffee. Dawn flipped more pancakes onto a pizza pan inside the oven to keep warm and poured out more batter on the skillet. 

“Dibs on first cup!” Dawn told Darcy as she turned on the pot and waited for the magical brew to appear. 

“Affirmative Tango 1,” Darcy replied instantly, the two still moving to the music. 

“This is somehow your fault.” Clint informed Steve. Steve turned to stare at him with an amused look.

“My fault?” He asked with a grin. 

“She is far too perky this morning. Someone put her in a good mood.” Clint grinned as he shrugged and turned back to catch the chocolate chip Darcy tossed his way and pop it into his mouth. Steve grinned a bit himself, watching Dawn smile and dance with Darcy at eight on a Saturday morning was a view he could get used to.


	12. Track 12 - Beside You by Marianas Trench

Something bad had happened. Darcy didn’t know what it was but she had walked to the lab next door to sling some zingers with Summers, but Dawn was just sitting there staring at her phone like the world had just ended. Darcy had demanded to know what was wrong, but Dawn had shook herself and given her a fake smile before heading out of the lab and up to her room. Darcy didn’t know what else to do so she went and told Jane. 

“If she doesn’t want to talk about it then we can’t force her.” Jane told her calmly.

“Oh we can totally force it out of her,” Darcy insisted.

“But we shouldn’t,” Jane reminded her with a warm smile. Darcy scowled, thinking about what could have happened. News from home? She was pretty much the only one with family so it could be that. Dawn had a ton of stories about all of them. So maybe that was what had happened. 

That night Dawn didn’t come out of her room for dinner. She didn’t come out for breakfast the next day either. When Natasha went to check on her (because really, no one says no to Natasha) she discovered Dawn wasn’t in her room. Jarvis informed them that she had been in the gym since around two in the morning. 

Darcy knew it was bad. Usually Dawn was a ten hours of sleep whenever she could get it kind of girl. She hadn’t slept at all.

“I have a board meeting Pepper says I can’t miss,” Tony shoved his hands in his pockets and shot a look at Steve as he headed out. For some reason the billionaire had a giant soft spot for the linguistics genius. Maybe it was losing her parents young or that she could keep up with him on a cerebral level, maybe it was just that she treated him like a little brother despite the fact that he was like, twenty years older than she was. It didn’t really matter, because Tony didn’t get all non-abrasive with most people. 

“Debrief with Fury in 30, I’ll be gone for at least a week.” Natasha was now striding out of the room. Soon it was Darcy and Steve staring at each other. 

“Get your time displaced ass downstairs and figure out what’s wrong with our girl. You know, other than the obvious shit.” Darcy shooed him off with her hands and went to find poptarts to feed to Jane. Steve watched the short girl for a moment before doing exactly as she requested. 

Inside the gym Dawn was on the rowing machine, sweat had soaked through her green t-shirt and her messy bun was half plastered to her head. Her eyes were red rimmed and slightly bruised underneath, showing she needed sleep. She didn’t even so much as glance at him as he stood in front of her.

“Want to talk about it?” He asked her after a few moments. Dawn shook her head as she carefully breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. “Want to take a break?” Dawn rolled her eyes and continued her smooth motions. “Want some company?” Dawn shook her head again and after a few moments Steve left, unsure what else to do at the moment.

That night Dawn didn’t come to dinner. 

“What the hell nimrod, I told you to fix this shit.” Darcy demanded, glowering at Steve.

“If she doesn’t want to-”Jane started only to be interrupted by Darcy.

“Bullshit, you don’t get to be all mopey and anti-family because something bad happens. That’s when you get to share your bad shit so it doesn’t make you implode.” Darcy shoved away from the table (chinese take out, it was Jane’s turn to provide food) and stomped out of the kitchen. 

“Jarvis open the door!” The door slid opened and Darcy entered the room. “Get your scrawny ass out of this bedroom and down to the kitchen before I pull you out by your hair.” She flung an arm out and pointed down the hall until the taller woman did as she said, slinking down the hall like a whipped dog. 

Dinner was awkward if only because Dawn refused to talk to anyone. When someone tried to talk to her Darcy glared at them and piled more food on Dawn’s plate, telling her to eat up. It was like she knew the reason Dawn wasn’t eating was because she didn’t want to talk. Or feel. Or really do anything. She finished three plates of food before leaving the table, going straight back to her room to sit on her bed and stare out the window. 

When her father had died a few years before Dawn had been upset. He had abandoned her family long ago, but he was still her father. She’d had her mother and that was all she really needed in her family. Giles had always been more of a father figure to Buffy than herself, but he was still there more than anyone else. Now he was dead. Not even because of demonic intervention. Drunk driver had hit him in Cleveland. They’d brought him home to England and buried him and then called Dawn demanding to know where she was and why she hadn’t gone to the funeral. It was because they had forgotten to tell her about it. Somehow Dawn had slipped through the cracks again. She was feeling a lot of things right now, but mostly she was feeling empty. Like someone had reached in and scooped out all her emotions.

A knock sounded on her door and Pepper Potts walked in on her scary high heels. The woman was whip smart, beautiful and the CEO of Stark Industries. If she wasn’t so nice and caring Dawn would find her ridiculously intimidating. Pepper sat down on the bed beside Dawn, looking out the window at the city skyline. The conversation started pouring out of her mouth, her sister’s accusing voice ringing in her ears. Willow’s horrified voice when Buffy had dropped the phone after realizing she had forgotten to tell her sister about the accident. 

“Ten years later and nothing has changed. I’m the forgettable one, the one who doesn’t matter.” Dawn’s voice was bleak and Pepper wrapped an arm around the younger girl, pulling her close and resting her head on Dawn’s shoulder. She would never be able to understand what Dawn meant, not really. Sometimes the younger woman wondered if she was forgettable because of a glitch in the Monk’s spell which brought her into being. Other times she wondered if it was because somehow she still wasn’t completely real to her family. 

“You are not at all forgettable and you will always matter to me.” Pepper told her in a soft voice as Dawn continued to stare blankly out the window. They sat together for some time before Pepper headed out of the room, glancing back at the other girl with a sad look of sympathy. The younger woman was in pain, and not all of it was recent pain either. 

Stepping into the living room Pepper told the group what Dawn had told her. Darcy looked ready to spit cats, mumbling about bleached blondes and zombies. Pepper eyeballed Tony, he had that look on his face like he needed to fix something, but didn’t know how. She smiled and decided to drag him off to bed, he needed sleep if he was going to play mother hen.

Steve waited a little while and then went in to check on Dawn. She was still sitting there looking out her window. He sat beside her quietly for a few moments before pulling her into his side and resting his cheek on her head. Then her tears started to fall. Sobs ripped from her throat and Dawn turned into Steve’s chest, trying to hide her face as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself to him as tightly as she could. She stayed like that for a time before her tears slowly dried up and she looked up at Steve with swollen eyes. “Will you stay with me?” 

“For as long as you want me.” He promised kicking off his shoes and pulling back her covers to let her crawl inside before he pulled her in close and she used his chest as a pillow.


	13. Track 13 - Johnny and June by Heidi Newfield

“So, you and Capsicle?” Tony asked Dawn as she worked with one of his linguistics programs in her continuing attempts to dissect the chitauri language. 

“Yep.” Dawn agreed affably as she scribbled down a few notes and went back a few pages to double check something she’d seen earlier. 

“Really?” His voice seemed slightly confused and she glanced up to see his disbelieving look.

“He’s got a thing for legs.” She told him with a smirk, laughing out right when Tony’s eyes dipped down to check out the limbs in question. He was so easy sometimes, but as his lips quirked into a smirk she reminded herself half of that was an act he put on because it made people underestimate him. 

“I need you to help me pick out an engagement ring for Pepper.” Tony informed her a moment later, smirking again when she half choked on the coke she was attempting to drink. 

“Why me?” She kind of adored Tony, really she enjoyed adopting bad boys like they were stray puppies. She was never really attracted to them, not in a forever kind of way, they just … they needed people who adored them for who they were so they didn’t act stupid all the time. 

“You’ve got decent taste and you know Pepper. She likes understated and I don’t actually do understated very well.” Tony said it as though he couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t be good at something.

“You rented out Tiffany’s didn’t you?” She asked with a wry grin, she’d gotten to know Tony pretty well in the last few months. 

“It’s her favorite store.” Tony shrugged and grinned unrepentantly. 

“Alright, when are we going?” She asked with a sigh. Tony looked at his watch. 

“We should probably leave now. I’ve got Happy waiting in the car downstairs and Pepper has meetings for the next three hours.” He informed the younger woman with another grin. Dawn eyeballed him for a moment. She’d bet 10 to 1 he was asking her tonight. 

“Let’s go, Romeo,” Dawn grabbed her purse and linked an arm through his as they set out on their quest for the ring. It was nice of him to ask her, though she had no doubt that a lot of the reason was also because he wanted to cheer her up and it tied in nicely with his plans. Tony could multitask like no one else at times.


	14. Track 14 - Bullet In My Hand by Redlight King

The Dark Slayer was in New York City. Dawn sighed and told Jarvis to let the lady with all the knives up … and to tell her to stop flirting with the security guards. She was going to scar them for life if Dawn didn’t put an end to it. It must have worked since a few minutes later Faith was stepping out of the elevator in skin tight leather pants and a black beater, all dark lipstick and attitude. 

“Seriously, coming on to the guards as they pull out nine knives?” Dawn asked, amused despite herself. 

“Not my fault they didn’t get all of them,” Faith shrugged, bumping her fist against Dawn’s as she breezed past the younger girl to start investigating the living quarters. Well the first floor of the living quarters. “Damn D, nice digs,” Faith whistled as she inspected the living room and then moved past to keep looking around. She found the kitchen and immediately opened the fridge.

“Make yourself at home,” Dawn replied dryly, watching the woman rummage about inside only to come out with a crunchy green apple. 

“Nice pants. They come with the motorcycle or did you have to get that separate?” Darcy asked as she came into view. Dawn glanced at the clock. It was about the time Darcy usually stopped by to grab food for Bruce and Jane. 

“Had to get it separate,” Faith informed her with a grin. Darcy shrugged and made a couple sandwiches in short time, cocking an eyebrow at Dawn to see if she wanted her to stay. Dawn flicked her eyes toward the door and Darcy shrugged once more before taking off. 

“What’s up Faith?” Dawn asked, watching the other woman finish off the apple. Faith’s dark eyes moved from where they’d followed Darcy to the elevator and met Dawn’s.

“I heard about the shit with Giles.” She admitted after a few moments. 

“That was a week ago, Faith.” Dawn replied evenly. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her hips back against the counter. She had never been close to Faith, never really tried to be. They were like cousins who never hung out. Faith and Buffy had their deal or whatever and Dawn stayed out of it. 

“B is worried about you. She thinks you hate her and you aren’t being careful anymore.” Faith liked to get everything out in the open right away rather than try and get into it sideways like the Summers Sisters tended to do. 

“I’m still mad at her and I will probably still be angry with her for a while. She’s gonna need to deal with it on her own. She really fucked up this time.” Dawn informed the other woman. “Is that all you needed?” 

“For serious?” Faith gave Dawn a look like she should know better. “I’m errand girl. Have to pick up some shit for the mojo crew we apparently can’t send Fedex. Figured I’d take a day and come visit you in your tower. This place is sick.” 

“It’s pretty awesome. Jarvis takes care of us, isn’t that right Jarvis?” Dawn looked up with a smile and Faith raised an eyebrow until the AI responded.

“I make the attempt, not everyone is good about listening,” Jarvis replied, sounding a touch put upon.

“Faith, this is Jarvis, he is an AI that basically makes life better for us.” Dawn told the other woman.

“You just need to make sure they know it’s in their best interest to listen J,” Faith informed the AI, a grin on her face. 

“I will take that under advisement.” Jarvis replied seriously. Dawn frowned for a moment, wondering if Faith was going to corrupt Jarvis, but she dismissed the notion a few moments later as she reminded herself who exactly had built him to begin with. 

“You look good D, I mean you look good on the TV, but it’s different in person. Your arms are crazy, Watcher makes good!” Faith poked at Dawn’s upper arm and Dawn noticed her arms had become rather well defined. Not scary bodybuilder cut, but defined was a good word for it. She wondered how she’d missed that. 

“You just need to drag the Watchers out for daily sparring with their slayers.” Dawn told her with a grin. Faith stayed for another couple hours, shooting the shit and filling her in on what she’d missed. They didn’t talk about any of the Scoobies and Dawn appreciated that. She was still fairly sore on the subject and she meant it when she said it would be a few more months at least until she wasn’t quite so angry about shit. 

As Faith was leaving she stopped Dawn, grasping the other woman’s forearm with her hand so Dawn took hold of hers as well. Hanging out with Thor made the action second nature. “You did good here D, don’t let anyone tell you different. If you need anything give me a ring. I’ve got a cell so people can find me.” Faith grinned a bit, “if you get hurt too bad I’m gonna come and kick your teammates asses for not having your back. Might want to warn them.” 

“Lady Dawn! You have a visitor!” Thor smiled brightly as he stepped off the elevator in jeans and a snug T-shirt that accentuated his well muscled physique. 

“Well hello salty goodness,” Faith grinned as she stepped into the elevator. “I was just leaving. Take care of my girl or I’ll break your hammer arm.” The brunette told him, holding his gaze as the doors to the elevator closed. 

“My heart gladdens at meeting one who cares for you truly,” Thor informed Dawn, a grin on his face and not a bit offended at the promise of violence. Dawn laughed and shook her head.

“I’m glad you approve. Want to help me make dinner?” Dawn tossed her head toward the kitchen and Thor followed her, recounting his day of training SHIELD recruits in hand to hand combat.


	15. Track 15 - 99 Problems by Hugo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which people learn that Dawn really doesn't like having her hair pulled.

A hand grabbed her hair and ripped it loose from the bun it had been kept in, pulling some of the long strands out as well. The woman dove forward, rolling on her right shoulder to come up in a crouch. Her visor was missing, having been damaged earlier in the fight and tossed aside. She’d hit the self destruct on the item (so it couldn’t be recreated) and didn’t bother watching as Jarvis made sure it was incinerated from the inside out. 

This was the first fight (since the Chitauri Invasion) her face was bare to their enemies. There was a possibility Dawn would no longer be able to just pop down to the donut shop and fill herself with sugary goodness. The thought kind of pissed her off and she stood carefully, pulling both her guns out and moving them around the group that surrounded her. There was no way in hell she was getting out of this unscathed. Well, there was an incredibly low probability, anyhow.

“Put down your weapons and we will not harm you.” The one in the front demanded. Dawn cocked her head to the side, listening to the accent. Eastern European, south of Russia, not Ukrainian. They wanted to take her prisoner, not kill her outright. Dawn slid her guns into her holsters and took three steps backwards and one up so she was standing on the edge of the roof. What was it with her and heights lately? 

“Yet.” Dawn informed him. “You will not harm me _yet_ , because I don’t plan on cooperating and I know that’s just going to piss you off.” She smiled lightly and continued to watch him.

“We do not care if you fall. We can take another hostage. Perhaps the lovely Black Widow or the man known as Hawkeye,” the man offered. Dawn’s grin just grew wider. 

“I’d like to see you attempt to take Widow.” Her voice was filled with amusement at their stupidity.

“Come down from the ledge.” The man commanded. Dawn cocked an eyebrow at him and looked back behind her at the street which appeared to be filled with ant sized cars. Then she looked forward once more. 

“Not quite yet,” she told him catching the inside of her hand on one of the sharp points of her sai (yes, they were supposed to be rounded edges, but hers were a custom gift from her sister, they needed to be sharp) and letting her palm fill with blood. It stung like a bitch, but it worked out well. She tried to ignore the news helicopters that were circling not far enough away. She held her palm out behind her and concentrated hard on the ground as the man before her told her he knew she wouldn’t jump. 

“Time’s up,” she told them, turning around and hearing the men suddenly dart forward to grab her. They failed and she leaped out from the building, disappearing into a shimmering and sparkling green glow. She fell from a matching portal at the base of the building, rolling on her shoulder and cursing as she felt it pop out of place. Note to self, you left the portal at the same velocity as you entered it. Great. 

Dawn stood, looking up and waving cheekily at the people she could barely make out on the roof. They hadn’t been expecting that. A moment later Dawn heard the tell tale sound of Iron Man coming closer. She turned toward the gaping civilians and grinned wryly. “My ride’s here,” when Iron Man was close enough she caught his forearm with her good arm and they held tight to each other as he dropped her off with Cap and Hawkeye. 

“Hawk?” Dawn gestured to her arm and Hawkeye eyeballed it for a moment before taking careful grip of her arm and yanking it hard. Dawn cursed loudly once, but shook it off after that, keeping her arm tucked close to her body as she waited for Thor and Hulk to finish up the group she’d left on the roof. 

“Media is gonna be all over that trick of yours now,” Hawkeye commented, watching as Thor and Hulk finished off her group of goons (they’d lured Dawn off on her own on purpose to attempt to take her hostage) and then head their way. 

“It was bound to happen sooner or later,” Dawn shrugged it off, pulling her hair out of her face and then resting her hand on the back of her head. She absolutely hated when people pulled her hair. It stung like a bitch.

“SHIELD operatives are arresting the men as we speak. Are you alright?” Captain America stepped forward and wrapped a hand loosely around the back of her neck, resting his forehead against hers as he asked the last part.

“Pissed off, but otherwise peachy,” She told him, a wry grin spreading across her lips. Steve let go of her neck only to carefully take hold of her hand and inspect a newly silvered mark on her palm. He ran his fingertip over the scar and then folded her hand in on itself. Dawn smiled up at his concern and waited for the rest of the team so they could take off and she could wrap her arm up and hopefully get Steve to share a shower with her before she had to start ignoring worried emails from her sister.


	16. Track 16 - Bartholomew by The Silent Comedy

Clint Barton was a lot of things; assassin, spy, killer, savior, and Avenger only to name a few of them. He didn’t really have a lot of friends, though he was certainly friendly enough, before the Avengers. He wasn’t close to anyone and though he was the very best at what he did and had no problem following orders. He still liked to question those orders and to give the person issuing said orders as hard a time as possible. It was who he was and what he did. 

Then the strangest thing happened. A hammer was found and no one could move it. They built an entire facility around the damn thing and watched a man break through hundreds of SHIELD soldiers to get to it. They discovered an alien presence on Earth. It was all a little too X-Files for Clint to really delve into all that much, but then he was sent to keep an eye on some science type people who knew too much for SHIELD’s comfort. There he met a sassy young woman who referred to his boss as Agent Ipod-Thief and upon seeing his bow referred to him as Katniss for a week straight. 

Sometimes Clint thinks there is no saving his soul from the things he has done on behalf of his government. He has no illusions what he has done is always the right thing to do. He knows better. Knows sometimes the wrong thing is the only thing that can be done for the good of the many. He’s tough enough to do the wrong thing for the right reason, and so he does. It doesn’t make things easier, in fact often times it makes things that much harder. 

When Darcy and the scientist she is in charge of caring for are sent far away, Clint wants to follow them. She is a vibrant light in his darkness and he craves her very presence, wants to bask in her light for a little while longer and pretend he is not already forsaken. Instead he does as he is told and follows the other scientist underground and hides in his nest. She’d told him to watch Erik and so he did. 

He got Darcy back after the Chitauri and he is just glad she didn’t see him when Loki had control. He told her about it, she’s one of the few he will probably ever speak of it with, but seeing it is different. Sometimes, when he sleeps alone, he dreams of those times and he knows he didn’t have control of his choices at that time … but it was still ultimately him who did it. Killed fellow SHIELD operatives and helped Loki in his schemes. 

Now Darcy is fully ensconced in the Tower helping out with Jane as she helps Pepper with Avengers PR (she does have a degree in political sciences focusing on public relations so it’s only right.) She has made herself part of the team and has no problem mouthing off to any of them. Sometimes when she and Dawn get started Clint worries someone is going to strangle the two of them, their snark often overpowering that of even Tony … but it’s comforting at the same time. Like having a family.

Clint hasn’t had a family in a long time. He doesn’t speak to his brother or about the circus. Things went south and never got repaired so he avoids those conversations. He smiles and pushes all the right buttons until people leave him to himself. It has worked on everyone until he got assigned to Dr. Foster and met Darcy. It doesn’t work on them and it doesn’t work on his fellow Avengers. To be fair it never worked on Natasha either, but then she never asked the hard questions anyhow. She knew better. 

Clint stared at himself in his bathroom mirror, judging the reflection and finding it wanting. His lips tightened as he splashed cold water onto his face and scrubbed his hands over the skin. Sometimes when he couldn’t sleep his thoughts took over and all he could do was watch Darcy sleep and hope to god she never came to the realization that she could do so much better than _him_. A pounding on the door made him startle, his hand gripping the knife he may have duct taped under the sink in case of emergency.

“Hurry it up in there, Merida! Finish rubbing it out or whatever you’re doing and get back in bed, my toes are cold.” She sounded irritable and Clint grinned, stepping out of the bathroom and pouncing on the younger woman, rolling about with her on the bed as she giggled (despite ardent arguments that she never made such noises) and bit his chin. Darcy always knew how to make him feel better.


	17. Track 17 - Part Of Me by Katy Perry

“I’m doing my job. In fact I’m doing all four of my jobs. I’m doing linguistics for SHIELD, I’m doing translations for WIC, I’m a contributing member of the Avengers, and I am liaising, hence my phone call to you. I don’t have time for personal conversations or gossip. I’m a busy person Buffy and I don’t honestly care if it bothers you or not. If I have any more questions I’ll call you.” Dawn hung up her cell phone and stared at it blankly for a little while before taking a deep breath and standing up. She needed to get out of her office for a little while. Preferably before Buffy called back demanding forgiveness. Dawn wanted to stew for a while longer. 

“I know that look.” Darcy informed the other brunette in the hallway. Dawn lifted a single eyebrow and stared at Darcy until her knowing look melted into a smirk. “What, you’re the only one allowed to be observant? Don’t be dictatorial.” 

“Sorry.” Dawn scrubbed her hands over her face before cracking her neck loudly.

“Gross, worn a girl before you do things like that!” Darcy held her arms up to ward off the sound of tendons popping and wrinkled her nose. “Sounds like Tequila Tuesday needs to happen tonight. Margarita’s or shots?” Darcy dropped her arms and looked at Dawn quizzically. 

“Both, we’ll just switch them up.” Dawn decided. Darcy cheered loudly and scampered off to tell Jane about the night’s festivities. In the meantime Dawn decided she needed to vent her frustrations in a more physical way. Up one floor to change into black yoga pants and a black tank top, throwing on a sweatshirt over the top. Down to the lobby and a cab to a nondescript building which was actually SHIELD headquarters in New York. 

“Hey Shawn, the boys making friends in the gym?” Dawn asked as she walked through the metal detector and ignored it’s worried beeping. 

“I’m not sure I’d put it quite that way, Ms. Summers.” The guard told her with an easy smile. Dawn was one of a select group of people who did not need to surrender their weapons upon entering the building. Something about being on the Avenger’s team, apparently. Not that she had anything more dangerous than her sparring sais (rounded properly rather than pointed so they didn’t do more than bruise someone.) 

Dawn pressed the button for Sub-level 6, keeping her eyes wide for a retina scan before the elevator began to move. When the door opened she made her way straight to the gym where Thor and Steve were keeping an eye on a large group of men and women (mostly men) as they sparred with one another. They offered comments and let people throw them around now and then to up their self confidence. Dawn felt some of her tension fade as she watched Steve smile and encourage a young man in his endeavors. Then he spotted her through the window and his smile doubled before fading a little and his eyes got that concerned look in them. A quick word to the young man and Steve was suddenly out in the hall striding toward her.

“What’s the matter?” He asked, his voice calm and his hand already stretched out to grasp her shoulder as he searched her face.

“Nothing a few rounds of kick-the-recruits won’t fix.” Dawn told him, her lips quirking up into a smile as she pulled her hair into a ponytail before popping up on her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips. Sometimes it was nice to be so tall, sometimes she thought Steve had been custom made just for her. Or her for him. Of course with the PTB being who they were she didn’t like to think on that too long. 

“Lady Dawn, well met.” Thor came over and they clasped forearms for a moment before Dawn surveyed the room. She was taller than a decent number of the agents, men included, but she was also a great deal thinner than most of them as well. 

“I came to see if I could help, I figured you guys might not be the best at teaching people how to fight dirty.” Dawn gave the group of young agents a feral smile as Thor and Steve shared a look of amused resignation over her head. None of these agents had the readiness of those who were used to SHIELD surprises, which meant they were a fresh batch.

“This is Dawn Summers, she’ll be helping out today. If you have a problem with this you are welcome to go one on one with her.” Steve informed the room as Thor nodded his agreement. They were unsurprised when one of their better fighters, a man who had been incredibly dismissive of his female peers, lifted a hand and offered to take her on. The new agents all pressed back against the walls in anticipation as Dawn shed her jacket and pulled out her sais. The weapons should have given her away.

“Ground rules: tapout means it’s over. “ Dawn stopped at one rule and then stared at the young man, making sure he understood.

“Anything goes.” He nodded once, a slight smirk on his lips. Steve and Thor stood back with the others watching with blank faces. It wouldn’t do to encourage either of the two fighters right now, one needed to vent her frustrations and the other felt he needed to prove something to the world. 

Dawn took a few steps back and waited for him to make the first move. He circled a few times, but Dawn was willing to wait however long she needed to. He whipped out a leg toward her head, the guy was fast and the form made her lean toward Krav Maga, but she couldn’t be sure just yet. Dawn slammed the flat of her sai hard against his ankle and he pulled back quickly. It went that way a few more times, Dawn biding her time until he lost all patience in the matter and came at her full tilt. 

This was how Dawn operated, she needed to know just how short that patience was, because it told you how long the fight would last. This guy couldn’t even last five whole minutes before he got that irritated look in his eyes and threw himself forward. Left, right, left, left, knee, right hook. Dawn dodged them all before, batting him away and kicking the inside of his right knee quick and hard. She paused again, waiting for him to come back on the attack. It didn’t take more than a minute before he was coming back in and slamming a fist forward, she caught it on her forearm and kicked him on the inside of his knee again before dodging low to avoid his other fist. A moment later Dawn felt that irritating tug on the back of her head and the sting of hair being yanked before a fist landed a hit against the side of her jaw. 

"Godverdomme!" Dawn swore in Dutch as she backed away.

“An unwise move against the Lady Dawn,” Thor commented quietly to Steve. 

“Yep.” Steve agreed, a pained grimace on his face. He couldn’t even bring himself to try and defend Aaron, because the cocky young man kind of had it coming. Also he found it kind of a turn on when Dawn started tossing SHIELD agents around, though he wasn’t sure what that said about him. 

Dawn rotated her jaw slowly and loosened her fingers for a moment before she crouched a bit and waited for the guy to come at her. When he was almost on her she exploded into motion; ducking inside his defenses and delivering an uppercut to his jaw as her knee slammed up into his stomach and then down so her heel connected solidly with the top of his knee, she yanked her knee up again as her hands caught the back of his head and her knee broke the man’s nose. In less than three minutes after he had pulled her hair, Dawn had laid him flat. She stared down at him with contempt for a moment, rubbing the heel of her palm over the back of her head where it still stung from his pulling her hair.

“I’ll get him down to medical, try not to break the rest of them,” Steve went over and rubbed his knuckles over her cheekbone affectionately before lifting Aaron’s arm over his shoulder, half carrying the man out of the room. 

“One should always read their opponent, whether they have faced them before or not.” Thor informed the room at large, taking the moment to carry forth a lesson. For hundreds of years he had trained the recruits of Asgard in the ways of the warrior so he had revelled in the chance to do so on Midgard. “How many of you had seen the Lady Dawn in battle before today?” Two people raised their hands.

“How many of you have seen Lynx in a fight?” Dawn asked, casually twirling one of her sais as she gazed at the group. Every one of them was now raising a hand.

“When the Black Widow fights she entices and teases. She goes from soft to dangerous in an instant. Her moves are smooth and supple, not unlike the lady herself. Black Widow prefers the sneak attacks, the moves which incapacitate while keeping her as best out of actual danger as possible. She is a foe to be reckoned with and has bested me in battle more than once.” Thor informed the class as Dawn grinned at some of the memories. He turned to face Dawn, a move she was well used to from her time dealing with Buffy in training mode. 

He made a motion and Dawn launched herself at him, her fist going for his throat. He moved his arm up to block her own and the woman moved with a liquid grace she had earned through years of sparring with slayers, moving under his defense to slam her other fist into his kidney and dance around behind him to wait for retaliation. He hadn’t allowed the hit, she was simply that good. Thor turned back to the class.

“When Lynx attacks she goes straight for the kill. Occasionally she will play with her prey, but generally there is a reason. She is fast and vicious and holds no quarter for anyone. She too has bested me in fights. I say this to you, because both of these women are smaller and lack the strength I carry, in fact they have less physical strength than most of their opponents. Yet they win against me anyhow. Why is that, do you think?” He asked, looking out across his students. When no one offered an answer he turned to Dawn. She stepped forward to stand beside him. sheathing her sais before planting a hand on each hip.

“Men don’t put in as much effort when they fight a woman, not usually anyhow. Whether they know you or not, they generally hold back on at least the first few punches. When you are fighting another woman there is no grace period, it’s on like Donkey Kong from the start.” Dawn informed them, grinning back when a few people chuckled. “Widow and I don’t give people a grace period. If we haven’t fought you before, we stand back, we let you come to us and we figure out your fighting style. Most of my opponents are stronger than I am, but I am faster than a great deal of them. I also fight with my brain. I trained in Wing Chun and Lua and then tossed in some extras to keep things interesting. I am very good at defending myself. I consider breaking limbs, especially knees, to be a good form of defense as they can’t get up to chase me before SHIELD agents have time to catch up and arrest them. You’ll need to find your best form of defense. No two fighters are ever exactly the same. Every fighter has a patience level, and it’s generally best if yours is higher than your opponent. Every fighter has a few pet peeves. Mine is getting my hair yanked out of my scalp, you saw what happened to lefty.”

“Aaron,” one woman called out. 

“Yeah, that one.” Dawn looked over at Thor inquisitively and he nodded once, letting her know she’d done fine with his pupils. 

“Pairs, ponder well on what you have seen and use the lesson wisely.” Thor watched as all of the people obediently broke off in twos and started throwing each other around a bit harder than they had before. One woman was left to her own devices in the back of the room and walked forward.

“You can be with me.” Dawn announced swinging her head over to an empty corner and getting into a ready position. They circled for a bit and then the other woman went in for the attack. Dawn grinned, her opponent always broke first.

A few hours later the Avengers Trio left the nondescript building with Steve’s arm wrapped around her shoulders and both their bags gripped easily in his hand. Dawn had enjoyed the afternoon, getting into it as she realized how much she missed training the Slayer noobs. She’d sparred with the odd person out every time they swapped partners and only sent three of them to the medical wing. In her own defense though she only gave what she was given so it was their own faults. A broken nose for Aaron, a dislocated shoulder for another, and a dislocated elbow on the last. Lua was a nasty martial art and Dawn loved it.

“Want to go out for pizza?” Steve asked her, pulling her a smidge closer as they walked the five blocks to the tower they called home.

“Nah, Darcy’s got Nachos on. We decided it was Tequila Tuesday.” Dawn grinned up at Steve as he raised an eyebrow.

“Nachos it is.” He agreed easily, already grinning at what was sure to be an interesting night.

XXX

Godverdomme - God Damn It


	18. Track 18 - Candy by Robbie Williams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters :)

Darcy sipped champagne dressed in fire engine red satin and four inch heels at a Stark Party. Sometimes she thought that Natasha and Pepper saw herself, Jane, and Dawn as their own personal dress up dolls, but she had to admit they had excellent taste. So now she was dressed to the nines, looked hot as hell, and her man-thing was MIA. No surprise really, Fury was always sending him off to do last minute things that saved small third world countries. Or that destroyed them. Still, this was Tony and Pepper’s engagement party, so it would have been nice if the big man in the pirate costume had let her boyfriend off for the night. She got that SHIELD didn’t work that way, but still. Darcy downed the last of her glass in one go and looked over at the group surrounding Thor and Jane.

“A beautiful woman should never drink alone,” a smooth voice told her playfully as a full glass appeared in front of her eyes. Darcy saw Jane look over at her sometimes-assistant curiously and the brunette took hold of the delicate stem of the glass and turned to give the man a blatant once over. About her own age, well groomed and pleasant smile. She knew from spending time with Tony and listening to him bitch about off the rack suits that this one had been custom tailored to the young man. 

“I appreciate the sentiment,” Darcy told him with a bland smile, deciding to play nice with him since she was here for Pepper. Tony would have encouraged her to be as snarky as she could, he was cool like that.

“Are you a friend of the couple or here for the shrimp?” The man asked, his voice full of amused irony. Darcy’s lips, painted the same shade of red as her dress, spread into a smile.

“Definitely here for the Shrimp,” he just wasn’t there yet. Also, Clint was taller than the man beside her, he was only short when compared to Thor and Steve. It was not his fault they were ridiculously gigantic. Also, he was taller than Tony. So there.

“Harry Osbourne, and it is my greatest pleasure to have met you here tonight,” Harry took one of her hands and brought the knuckles to his lips. Darcy raised an unimpressed eyebrow and tilted her head to the side.

“Has that line ever actually worked?” She took a sip of her champagne and stared at him expectantly. 

“Usually just saying my name works,” Harry admitted with an easy smile and a negligent shrug of his shoulders that must have been practiced since it did nothing to ruin the lines of his jacket. Darcy stared at him for a few moments before downing the rest of the glass in disgust.

“Oh my baby Jesus, you’re a Tony! Now I feel dirty for letting you stare at my rack,” She set off away from him, trading her empty glass for a full one as she made her way out to the balcony and away from Harry. His eyes trailed her with amused scorn as she muttered about having what amounts to your skeevy cousin check you out.

“You alright?” A voice sounding a touch shy asked at her elbow. Darcy turned and saw a skinny young man, also about her own age, standing with a press badge and a camera settled against his chest.

“I’m good,” she shrugged a single shoulder and looked out at the city skyline for a few moments, the young man beside her doing the same. “So what are you doing hiding out here instead of doing your job inside?” She asked a short time later. She could only handle silence for so long before she cracked.

“I got pictures of the announcement and the societal big wigs, pictures of Steve Rogers and his date, Dawn Summers. Pictures of Thor and his astrophysicist. Pictures of the Black Widow sipping champagne with three generals and a colonel. Now I need pictures of the last Avenger before I can head home to a lumpy bed on the bad side of town.” He told her with a grin.

“Oh really?” She asked with a bit of a smirk, glancing at him over her shoulder.

“Keep that pose.” The man lifted his camera and snapped off a few pictures before handing her his card. “Peter Parker, photographer. If you need official shots of the Avengers, Ms. Lewis, please let me know.” 

“The photographer knows my name, I like it. Call me Darcy though, Ms. Lewis makes me think I’ve done something wrong.” Darcy told him, holding out her hand for him to shake.

“Alright Darcy, what say we go back inside so I can get that shot I need to go home?” Peter suggested looking pointedly at a man in a very expensive black suit who was just entering the room and already pulling at his bow tie. Peter opened the door into the room and Darcy strode through, crossing right through the dance floor without a care as she finished her champagne and handed the glass to a passing waiter.

“You’re doing it wrong, let me fix that,” Darcy told Clint, smiling lightly at his cocked eyebrow. Her fingers deftly untied the tie and then unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, letting the tie trail down his chest. “Much better.” She grinned up at him unrepentantly as Clint laughed out loud and pulled Darcy back to the dance floor. She didn’t know where he’d been and she didn’t care, she just wanted him smiling at her like she was the only person in the world he wanted to see right now. He spun her around and tugged her back close and Darcy went with it, a smile practically breaking her face in half. Soon enough Dawn and Steve were joining them, and then Tony and Pepper, the three couples laughing gaily as Natasha joined Thor and Jane to do vodka shots with a few gentlemen from the Pentagon. She’d probably be collecting all kinds of secrets tonight, but she was smiling a real smile so she was enjoying herself. 

The next day splashed across the society pages were pictures of the Avengers and the supremely rich and powerful. There was also a seductive looking woman in a fire engine red dress cocking an eyebrow as she looked over her shoulder at the photographer, a half empty glass of champagne dangling lightly from her fingers.. Underneath the picture the caption read “Avengers PR Manager Darcy Lewis taking a breather at the Stark-Potts engagement party.”’

Clint found the card with Peter’s name on it and emailed him a week later, requesting a copy of the picture for their room. The day after it arrived he had Jarvis print and mount it and when she went to bed that night, it was on the wall of their room. She’d never felt quite so beautiful.

“That’s just creepy, the eyes keep staring at me.” Darcy informed Clint after walking slowly across the room to look at the portrait. Clint’s response was to tackle her onto the bed.


	19. Track 19 - Don’t Fail Me Now by Melanie Amaro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn and Tony bond over a mutual disdain for Steve's groupies.

Dawn’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the groupies surrounding Captain America. This was all Darcy’s fault: she’d thought that to encourage positive public opinion they needed to go out into the public more often. Everyone loved Steve so he was the easiest to send out. For his part the 96 year old stud muffin was a little thrown every time someone asked him for his autograph. Now he was on the news for the opening of a new children’s center in Brooklyn, the hometown hero angle was working well for him. To be fair, though, every angle worked for him. Dawn had been invited to go as well, but she knew her eyes would go green if she had to see all this in person. She couldn’t play the fawning girlfriend on the sidelines as girl’s mentally undressed him. She wouldn’t be at all responsible for her reaction if she were nearby when the next fan _touched_ him, even if it was only a light pet on the upper arm. 

“Je vais arracher vos cheveux, et peut-être votre cœur,” Dawn muttered, her eyes narrowed as she watched one of the girls rub a hand down his arm slowly. Steve pulled away from the girl, but that didn’t stop her from growling and thinking psychopathic thoughts.

“Your jealousy is showing.” Tony commented, sitting down beside her, propping his feet up on the coffee table and pulling up the news feed on his tablet where he proceeded to draw mustaches on half the girls sighing over Cap.

“Why do you think I stayed here?” Dawn demanded dryly as she grabbed a stylus and blackened a couple teeth and one rather forward girl’s eye.

“It would be easier if you just told him exactly what you feel.” Tony informed her as the news feed ended and he set aside the tablet. Dawn cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Because you’re such a good influence in that respect?” She demanded. Tony chewed on the thought for a half a second.

“I’m not really a good influence in any respect. I leave that to Pepper.” Tony admitted with a shrug after a short time. 

“What did you do before she came into your life?” Dawn asked with a laugh. Tony got serious for a moment, so Dawn knew he was about to tell her the truth. 

“Before Pepper I was slowly losing grip on reality and trying to die in a way which wouldn’t make my dead parents disappointed.” Tony admitted. “But I will deny it if you quote me,” Dawn made a zipping motion across her mouth and grinned. The billionaire turned on cartoons and the two began dissecting The Looney Toons and it’s plethora of UST. 

Later that afternoon when Steve came home, frowning as he rubbing at a lipstick stain on his cheekbone, Dawn had sort of gotten over her jealousy issue. She didn’t blame Steve at all, but she still kind of wanted to kick some of the other girls in the shin. Or the teeth. She wasn’t all that picky. Clear blue eyes watched him strip off his suit and replace it with sweatpants and a shirt, pouting a little when the abs were put away. “We should move in together, I don’t want to be all Lorelai and Luke, you know? I’d rather be Ma and Pa Kent.” Steve stared at her a moment, blinking, and then moved forward to cup her chin in his hands.

“I have no idea what the first reference was, but Ma and Pa Kent sounds good. Your room or mine?” He was looking straight into her eyes as he asked, smiling widely as she blinked in surprise at how easy that had been. 

“Yours. We can take our time moving all my crap. For now we need to rectify your lack of Gilmore Girls knowledge. Besides, they toss out as many pop culture references as Darcy and I do, so I can explain them as we go!” Dawn kissed him hard on the mouth before bouncing up and out of the room, a bemused Steve following in her wake. He liked that she didn’t treat him like a moron for not understanding pop culture and just introduced him to things as they went along.


	20. Track 20 - Say You’ll Haunt Me by Stone Sour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has kidnapped Pepper. There are smarter things they could have done.

Someone had made the very stupid mistake of taking Pepper Potts hostage. 

Jarvis was sifting through CCTV’s with complete abandon, Natasha was on the phone with multiple contacts, Clint was standing watch over a trio of SHIELD computer guys as they lifted every file they could find on the organization that had taken credit for her capture, and Steve was interrogating the messenger who had delivered the news. Dawn had called Faith, and the Dark Slayer had her wicca contingent looking for the CEO of Stark Industries. Thor had readied the troops and was standing by, ready to leave in an instant. Rhodey had shown up in full War Machine gear after he’d heard the noise and he was currently on the phone with someone at the Pentagon demanding satellite imagery.

Tony stood completely still, his arms crossed over his chest and his feet spread shoulder length apart. He hadn’t moved since he’d first told Jarvis the news. He looked out over the New York skyline with a dark expression clouding his face and didn’t make one smart ass remark or fidget even the tiniest bit. It was freaking Darcy out to be honest. Her eyes kept darting back to the genius standing in full red armor, his helmet on the sofa beside him. It wasn’t the first time someone had taken Pepper and she was pretty sure his reaction got worse after every episode. She didn’t want to think what would happen to Clint if someone ever took her. At least Steve had the knowledge that his significant whatever could take care of herself. 

Korn blasted through the room and Darcy glanced over at Dawn as she answered her phone. “Do you have a location? Text me the coordinates.” Dawn hung up and glanced up to the ceiling. “Jarvis download this text and display for the team.” They both did that, she and Dawn, when speaking to Jarvis. She’d never noticed that before.

“I’m taking lead on this one.” Tony informed them, his voice hard and cold, it sounded alien coming from his mouth. Tony was passion, exploding with rage when he was angry. No one had ever seen him go cold like this, except perhaps for Rhodey. No one argued with him. 

She watched as the Avengers took off at a run to the hangar, loading themselves into the Quinjet as SHIELD agents loaded onto another. This one wasn’t going to be pretty. Darcy turned back to the bay of monitors that were Jarvis was piling all footage into. She watched, one arm wrapped around her middle and the other hand half covering her mouth, eyes wide and worried. Jane was losing herself in science, Darcy no longer had that luxury. She had to watch. She always had to watch. 

Dawn pulled her Cat Eyes (named by Tony which was understandable since he was the one that had made them and continued to upgrade them) down over her head, covering her ears and eyes and letting Jarvis help her amplify sounds and vision as needed. She had already drawn her sais and held them against the top of her thighs, clearing her mind of the violence she wished to do. A large hand wrapped around her leg, just above the knee and she looked to her right where Steve was sitting with a pinched mouth, eyes staring straight ahead. Pepper meant a lot to all of them. 

“Drop off in five. Lynx, you’re on my six. Banner, I want you jumping behind us and getting really pissed off, you’ll be watching for the people dumb enough to flee.” Tony pulled up a 3D map of the area they were going into and made a twisting motion with his hands as his eyes inspected the images. “Thor I need you to get Hawkeye here,” A red dot appeared at the corner of a taller building and both the men in question nodded. “Cap, Widow, in through the ground, make your way up while we make our way down. War Machine, you’re with Hulk.” Tony moved to the back of the jet as Natasha sent orders to the SHIELD agents in the following jet. They would be removing civilians and eventually arresting what was left of the terrorist cell that had taken Pepper.

A red fist slammed down on a large button and the back of the jet began to open. He pulled on his helmet and glanced over his shoulder at the team. Usually he was the one that wished them all luck, but this time there was no need for it. Pepper was coming home with him in one piece or the people responsible for harming her would be found in many pieces. 

Dawn stood up and slipped her weapons into their sheaths as she took her place behind Tony. Two loops issued forth in the back of Tony’s shoulders on the armor and as Tony walked a few steps down the hatch Dawn grabbed hold of them and Tony leaped into the open air. He’d added the hand holds for this specific reason, sometimes one of the team needed a lift and it was much easier to have them on his back than trying to carry them in his arms. 

Tony landed on the flat roof and watched as Bruce turned into Hulk on his way down to the street, War Machine right behind him. The Quinjet made it’s way down to street level as Tony aimed and decimated the roof access door without a single quip. The two entered the building with a single purpose in mind and if they left more broken bodies than usual in their wake no one was going to make a single remark. Taking someone who belonged to the Avengers was a Very Bad Idea and they were about to give a firm demonstration as to why. 

Dawn was doing hand to hand, Iron Man was doing just fine on the weapons front so she was taking on those that got too close to the Tin Man. In the past months her skinny self had turned her few fat reserves into lean muscle, she was in the best shape of her life running around as an Avenger and this was exactly why. She slammed her foot into the inside of a knee and backhanded the man across the face with a her metal plated gloves, before striding up to the next and twisting his arm with a sick crack before slamming a knee into his sternum. She was feral, her lips parted into a snarl and the Cat Eyes giving her face a feline edge (all Tony’s doing, though she kind of loved it). However Tony was worse. He was shooting everyone coming at him, armed or not. 

They had to drop six floors before they found where Pepper was being kept. Thankfully the woman wasn’t too badly harmed, just rope burns on her wrists and ankles and nasty bruise on her temple where she’d been whacked over the head by someone. Her face was a little raw where someone had tied a gag a tightly around her mouth as well, but all of that was superficial for the most part. 

“Budem vyrvať chrbticu a používať ho poraziť v bezcenný lebky.” Dawn promised before she attacked the man who stood between her and her friend. Her Slovak was dead on and she had apparently gotten his accent correct from the look of fear that suddenly crossed his face.

It wasn’t long before the man was unconscious on the ground (spine still sadly in tact) and Dawn was pressing a button over her right ear. Pepper was quietly scanned for further injuries, but other than a minor concussion (located under the bruised temple) she was physically sound. The brunette pulled a knife from her boot as Tony wiped the floor with the three men that had been inside the room with Pepper, it took a few short moments to free the red head of her constraints and for Cap and Natasha to join them. 

“Lynx?” Pepper asked calmly, gesturing the need for a steady shoulder to lean on so she could take off her shoes, the heel of one had been broken clean off. Dawn stood still and watched the woman take them off and then smooth out the worst of the wrinkles on her skirt and blouse before striding up to the man Cap was putting handcuffs on. Without a word Pepper pulled back a fist and punched the man straight in the nose, making him jerk back in surprise as blood started gushing from the appendage. “That was for ruining my shoes asshole.” Pepper growled, shaking her fist a little as she turned her back and walked back to Dawn and a smirking Natasha.

“Feel a bit better now?” Dawn asked with a grin.

“I loved those shoes,” Pepper lamented, her face crumbling as though someone had shot her puppy. Pepper was serious about her shoes. 

“I’ll get you knew ones, better ones.” Tony promised, Iron Man’s mask retreating to show his own face as he walked up to her. Pepper grinned tiredly and slid her palm up to cup his cheek.

“Can we go home now?” She asked with a sigh. Tony’s eyes locked on Dawn and Dawn nodded once, letting him know she’d done the scan. 

“Minor concussion, keep her awake for a few hours.” Dawn responded before Tony nodded in agreement. 

“Happy is outside with the car,” Jarvis informed the group from the speakers of Iron Man’s suit. 

“Perfect. Now if you can get me something to put on my feet we can get out of here.” Pepper agreed. 

“This is faster,” Tony scooped her up into his arms and Natasha shared a grin with Dawn as they listened to Pepper demand to be put down and inform him she was not some kind of damsel and she didn’t want pictures in the papers showing her looking weak and he needed to put her down this instant. Tony ignored her and carried her out to the car anyhow. 

 

(Budem vyrvať chrbticu a používať ho poraziť v bezcenný lebky - Slovak - I will rip out your spine and use it to beat in your worthless skull)


	21. Track 20 - Say You’ll Haunt Me by Stone Sour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has kidnapped Pepper. There are smarter things they could have done.

Someone had made the very stupid mistake of taking Pepper Potts hostage. 

Jarvis was sifting through CCTV’s with complete abandon, Natasha was on the phone with multiple contacts, Clint was standing watch over a trio of SHIELD computer guys as they lifted every file they could find on the organization that had taken credit for her capture, and Steve was interrogating the messenger who had delivered the news. Dawn had called Faith, and the Dark Slayer had her wicca contingent looking for the CEO of Stark Industries. Thor had readied the troops and was standing by, ready to leave in an instant. Rhodey had shown up in full War Machine gear after he’d heard the noise and he was currently on the phone with someone at the Pentagon demanding satellite imagery.

Tony stood completely still, his arms crossed over his chest and his feet spread shoulder length apart. He hadn’t moved since he’d first told Jarvis the news. He looked out over the New York skyline with a dark expression clouding his face and didn’t make one smart ass remark or fidget even the tiniest bit. It was freaking Darcy out to be honest. Her eyes kept darting back to the genius standing in full red armor, his helmet on the sofa beside him. It wasn’t the first time someone had taken Pepper and she was pretty sure his reaction got worse after every episode. She didn’t want to think what would happen to Clint if someone ever took her. At least Steve had the knowledge that his significant whatever could take care of herself. 

Korn blasted through the room and Darcy glanced over at Dawn as she answered her phone. “Do you have a location? Text me the coordinates.” Dawn hung up and glanced up to the ceiling. “Jarvis download this text and display for the team.” They both did that, she and Dawn, when speaking to Jarvis. She’d never noticed that before.

“I’m taking lead on this one.” Tony informed them, his voice hard and cold, it sounded alien coming from his mouth. Tony was passion, exploding with rage when he was angry. No one had ever seen him go cold like this, except perhaps for Rhodey. No one argued with him. 

She watched as the Avengers took off at a run to the hangar, loading themselves into the Quinjet as SHIELD agents loaded onto another. This one wasn’t going to be pretty. Darcy turned back to the bay of monitors that were Jarvis was piling all footage into. She watched, one arm wrapped around her middle and the other hand half covering her mouth, eyes wide and worried. Jane was losing herself in science, Darcy no longer had that luxury. She had to watch. She always had to watch. 

Dawn pulled her Cat Eyes (named by Tony which was understandable since he was the one that had made them and continued to upgrade them) down over her head, covering her ears and eyes and letting Jarvis help her amplify sounds and vision as needed. She had already drawn her sais and held them against the top of her thighs, clearing her mind of the violence she wished to do. A large hand wrapped around her leg, just above the knee and she looked to her right where Steve was sitting with a pinched mouth, eyes staring straight ahead. Pepper meant a lot to all of them. 

“Drop off in five. Lynx, you’re on my six. Banner, I want you jumping behind us and getting really pissed off, you’ll be watching for the people dumb enough to flee.” Tony pulled up a 3D map of the area they were going into and made a twisting motion with his hands as his eyes inspected the images. “Thor I need you to get Hawkeye here,” A red dot appeared at the corner of a taller building and both the men in question nodded. “Cap, Widow, in through the ground, make your way up while we make our way down. War Machine, you’re with Hulk.” Tony moved to the back of the jet as Natasha sent orders to the SHIELD agents in the following jet. They would be removing civilians and eventually arresting what was left of the terrorist cell that had taken Pepper.

A red fist slammed down on a large button and the back of the jet began to open. He pulled on his helmet and glanced over his shoulder at the team. Usually he was the one that wished them all luck, but this time there was no need for it. Pepper was coming home with him in one piece or the people responsible for harming her would be found in many pieces. 

Dawn stood up and slipped her weapons into their sheaths as she took her place behind Tony. Two loops issued forth in the back of Tony’s shoulders on the armor and as Tony walked a few steps down the hatch Dawn grabbed hold of them and Tony leaped into the open air. He’d added the hand holds for this specific reason, sometimes one of the team needed a lift and it was much easier to have them on his back than trying to carry them in his arms. 

Tony landed on the flat roof and watched as Bruce turned into Hulk on his way down to the street, War Machine right behind him. The Quinjet made it’s way down to street level as Tony aimed and decimated the roof access door without a single quip. The two entered the building with a single purpose in mind and if they left more broken bodies than usual in their wake no one was going to make a single remark. Taking someone who belonged to the Avengers was a Very Bad Idea and they were about to give a firm demonstration as to why. 

Dawn was doing hand to hand, Iron Man was doing just fine on the weapons front so she was taking on those that got too close to the Tin Man. In the past months her skinny self had turned her few fat reserves into lean muscle, she was in the best shape of her life running around as an Avenger and this was exactly why. She slammed her foot into the inside of a knee and backhanded the man across the face with a her metal plated gloves, before striding up to the next and twisting his arm with a sick crack before slamming a knee into his sternum. She was feral, her lips parted into a snarl and the Cat Eyes giving her face a feline edge (all Tony’s doing, though she kind of loved it). However Tony was worse. He was shooting everyone coming at him, armed or not. 

They had to drop six floors before they found where Pepper was being kept. Thankfully the woman wasn’t too badly harmed, just rope burns on her wrists and ankles and nasty bruise on her temple where she’d been whacked over the head by someone. Her face was a little raw where someone had tied a gag a tightly around her mouth as well, but all of that was superficial for the most part. 

“Budem vyrvať chrbticu a používať ho poraziť v bezcenný lebky.” Dawn promised before she attacked the man who stood between her and her friend. Her Slovak was dead on and she had apparently gotten his accent correct from the look of fear that suddenly crossed his face.

It wasn’t long before the man was unconscious on the ground (spine still sadly in tact) and Dawn was pressing a button over her right ear. Pepper was quietly scanned for further injuries, but other than a minor concussion (located under the bruised temple) she was physically sound. The brunette pulled a knife from her boot as Tony wiped the floor with the three men that had been inside the room with Pepper, it took a few short moments to free the red head of her constraints and for Cap and Natasha to join them. 

“Lynx?” Pepper asked calmly, gesturing the need for a steady shoulder to lean on so she could take off her shoes, the heel of one had been broken clean off. Dawn stood still and watched the woman take them off and then smooth out the worst of the wrinkles on her skirt and blouse before striding up to the man Cap was putting handcuffs on. Without a word Pepper pulled back a fist and punched the man straight in the nose, making him jerk back in surprise as blood started gushing from the appendage. “That was for ruining my shoes asshole.” Pepper growled, shaking her fist a little as she turned her back and walked back to Dawn and a smirking Natasha.

“Feel a bit better now?” Dawn asked with a grin.

“I loved those shoes,” Pepper lamented, her face crumbling as though someone had shot her puppy. Pepper was serious about her shoes. 

“I’ll get you knew ones, better ones.” Tony promised, Iron Man’s mask retreating to show his own face as he walked up to her. Pepper grinned tiredly and slid her palm up to cup his cheek.

“Can we go home now?” She asked with a sigh. Tony’s eyes locked on Dawn and Dawn nodded once, letting him know she’d done the scan. 

“Minor concussion, keep her awake for a few hours.” Dawn responded before Tony nodded in agreement. 

“Happy is outside with the car,” Jarvis informed the group from the speakers of Iron Man’s suit. 

“Perfect. Now if you can get me something to put on my feet we can get out of here.” Pepper agreed. 

“This is faster,” Tony scooped her up into his arms and Natasha shared a grin with Dawn as they listened to Pepper demand to be put down and inform him she was not some kind of damsel and she didn’t want pictures in the papers showing her looking weak and he needed to put her down this instant. Tony ignored her and carried her out to the car anyhow.


	22. Track 21 - Diamond Eyes by Shinedown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Deadpool happens.

Today was Giles’ birthday. It had been marked on Dawn’s calendar since mid-January, she had the perfect present for him but now it was going to sit in her closet, wrapped and labeled so she wouldn’t bend and just give it to him early and find something else for his birthday. She had two missed calls from Buffy and one from Willow, but Dawn didn’t feel like talking with them today. She didn’t want to argue with Buffy or listen to her sister’s tearful apologies. She didn’t want to sob into the phone and tell the blond how much she missed her. She needed to just be mad for a while longer. 

Dawn was a child of the Hellmouth. Death was common and often devastatingly violent, but you pushed past and you moved on. As such her way of mourning had been molded into one of angry retaliation. It was how you survived the Hellmouth. Ten years after the collapse of Sunnydale those habits hadn’t been broken. 

Dawn pulled on a black leather motorcycle jacket over her snug jeans and ratty Rush t-shirt, sais tucked into her boots as she strode out to the elevator without a word to anyone. She pushed the button for the lobby and didn’t respond when Jarvis asked where she was heading. It was better if she could just have some time alone for a little while. 

The California native made her way out to Central Park, the only place which could even vaguely feel like home sometimes, and sat down on a bench to watch the ducks splash each other with happy abandon. A few made their way up the bank to quack near her feet, hoping she had something tasty for them to eat. When they decided she didn’t she stopped being interesting to them and they waddled back out to the water, popping their heads under the water and wiggling their funny duck butts in the air. Dawn smiled as she watched them, relaxing for the first time all day. Well, relaxing until the broken off scream from down the path. 

The sun had gone down while she was watching the ducks, and when the sun went down at Central Park the predators came out to stalk the shadows. Dawn pulled her weapons out of her boots and tucked them into the pockets of her jacket for easy reach as she followed the sound. It took a few minutes, but Dawn found signs of a struggle in the newly mown grass and followed the kicked up dirt into the trees where she found a man in red and black fighting off seven opponents with a pair of katana. Dawn grinned and pulled her own blades out of her pockets as she caught one man’s gun with the long point and yanked it from his hands, tossing the weapon behind her and kicking him firmly in the chest before she joined the man in the costume.

“Mind if I join in?” Dawn asked, glancing up at the mask from the corner of her eye and smiling brightly as she bounced on her toes.

“You’re the main character, you can pretty much do as you please.” The man replied, waving a hand that still gripped one of the swords.

“If I’m the hero in this story, does that make you the damsel in distress?” Dawn asked innocently, exploding into action as the men around them dove in. 

“That depends on your definition of damsel!” The man replied, cackling happily as he hacked off a man’s arm and Dawn watched it turn to dust.

“Why didn’t you say they were vampires?” Dawn demanded a moment later, annoyance in her tone as she realized her sais weren’t going to cut it this time. No pun intended. 

“I have many talents, none of them include mind reading.” The man replied as she came closer to him.

“However verbalising seems to be an innate skill,” Dawn retorted, kicking a vampire in the stomach to knock him away. 

“The author likes us mouthy ones,” the man agreed.

“I need one of your swords.” Dawn announced, crouching for a moment to slip her blades into her boots and then standing back up and looking at him expectantly. The vampires were currently standing back, looking them over with no small amount of confusion. They weren’t easy prey, but New York City vampires didn’t back down just because someone was a decent fighter.

“Get your own swords!” The man was frowning at her, his mask covered his entire face, in fact no skin anywhere on his body was currently evident. However he was definitely frowning, she could feel the older sibling gaze of him. She lifted an unimpressed eyebrow, ignoring the stab of heartache that sliced through her. This was bonding material, right here, at least for the Summers girls and the Scoobies.

“Cogida duzu! You’re the one who didn’t say vampire when you encouraged me to join the party. Now share the toys, I promise you can have it back after the play-date.” Dawn informed him, making sure all the vamps were still in her peripheral vision even if it didn’t look like she was paying attention. Two of them were sneaking forward.

“Fine, try not to get cooties on it.” The man passed her one of his katanas and Dawn tested the weight in her palms for a moment before nodding and the two both swept the swords out and beheaded the vamps who had attempted to sneak up on them. 

“One all!” Dawn announced, jumping forward and swinging the sword to sever the neck of another. The vampire dodged and then the fight was on. Vampires were super strong and fast, but Dawn was currently practicing with Black Widow and Thor and Captain America, who were all far more advanced than the average human, and she’d learned fighting on the mean streets of Sunnydale at the hands of William the Blood and her own sister. She was holding her own. As for her new friend, well she had gotten a clue from the costume that he wasn’t exactly normal. 

“Two and three!” He shouted as he took off two heads in a single sweep of his well sharpened sword.

“Two!” Dawn sliced the vamp from crotch to sternum and he fell to dust as another took his place. 

“Four to your three, I win!” Dawn announced gleefully fifteen minutes later as she perched on the back of a bench.

“I took off the Righties arm before you killed him, you only get 3.75.” The man corrected as he wiped off both blades and sheathed them on his back.

“I’ll give you the quarter point but I still win,” Dawn informed him. 

“Fine. It was bound to happen anyway, you’re the main character even if the author does likes me more.” He agreed after a moment, sighing heavily and acting very put upon. She looked at him quizzically, but the man didn’t appear to be interested in adding to that comment. 

“So what’s a nice guy like you doing in a place like this after dark?” Dawn asked, her tone more than a little ironic. 

“I ran out of chimichangas.” He informed her. Dawn raised both her eyebrows and contemplated this for half a second before shrugging in acceptance. 

“So you were getting more?” She asked, curious and relaxed with her new friend. He’d helped her kill vampires for Giles’ birthday, he’d be a friend for life now. 

“Have to. Can’t have a Golden Girls marathon without them and I need me some Bea Arthur.” The man responded, itching at his chin through the mask.

“I’m a Sophia myself.” Dawn replied instantly, nodding because it all made sense. The utter randomness of it all just kind of felt like home. Like comparing gummy worms to gummy bears with Anya while Spike fought off a couple vampires nearby. She’d always been closer to them than the Scoobies, not being a true Scooby herself. The people she was closest to had all died. This man might as well have been part of the Sunnydale crew with the way he talked, and she felt a little better for it.

“We have a special bond, you and I.” The man commented a moment later. “That must be why I let you use my shiny pointy toy.” 

“I’m Dawn.” She told him a moment later, a smile spreading across her face as she held out a hand.

“Deadpool.” He shook her hand and then took a step back. “This has been fun, but I still have a mission to complete. We’ll see each other again.” 

“Damn straight we will.” Dawn agreed, watching as he melted into the shadows. “Remember to eat your vegetables!” She called out before he had completely disappeared.

“You’re not my real mother, you can’t tell me what to do!” His voice shouted back and Dawn giggled a bit before deciding to head back home. It had been a better night than she had expected.


	23. Track 22 - Titanium by David Guetta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha

She was running hard, trying to stay ahead of the people chasing her down. The extraction team had already cleared their target from the building and now all that was left was her. She pulled her guns and shot the windows out at the end of the hall. A few more feet and then … _now!_ She made a running leap and twisted midair, shooting at the people following her even as her back smashed against the cracked glass, finishing the shattering effect and sending her out into clear sky 53 floors above the street below, her red hair ruffling in her peripheral vision. She continued to shoot for a moment longer.

“A little help guys!” Natasha’s voice was urgent on her comm, but not overly so. She sounded vaguely irritated more than anything else, this was why most of SHIELD stayed clear of her. The Black Widow scared them. A strong arm caught her around the middle and the redhead looped her arms around Thor’s shoulders as he swung his Hammer and aimed them toward the Quinjet. While Thor was concentrating on their direction Natasha took a moment to look down at the ground and release the breath she’d been holding. She’d only dropped about twelve floors, it could have been worse. Much worse.

Thor set Natasha down inside the jet and she carefully unwound her arms from his shoulders. She cracked her neck rather loudly as she walked forward and took her customary seat, pulling up the information on the mission and making notations as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She was the Black Widow, this was pretty much a day in the life.

“Nat, a little heads up before a stunt like that would be much appreciated,” Dawn informed the other woman after watching her for a few minutes. Dawn was a little jealous that Natasha didn’t even look all that rumpled after she basically leaped off the top of a building while still shooting at the bad guys. Sometimes she thought she wanted to be Natasha if she ever grew up. Then, on days like this, she knew better. Of course it wasn’t like she was ever going to _really_ grow up.

“About that,” Natasha lifted her head to look at the team. “We should practice that maneuver, it was a bit sloppy today.” 

“That’s not a maneuver, that’s a last minute prayer you don’t become sloppy joe on the sidewalk,” Bruce informed his teammate as he carefully flexed each of his fingers. Something about Hulking out always made Bruce’s fingers and toes feel just a bit tingly. 

“We do tend to have a lot of last minute saves though,” Cap agreed after a moments thought.

“You know what we really need?” Dawn sat up excitedly, looking around at her teammates with an unholy gleam in her eyes that told them she was about to come up with something both ridiculous and brilliant. She liked to blame Slayer influence, but she’d been like this long before she’d known of their existence. 

“Dare I ask?” Tony’s voice was filled with distaste as he lounged back in his chair, Iron Man helmet on his lap and head resting on his index finger. He was very good at affecting the “elitist snob” air when he thought it might annoy someone. 

“Cirque de Soleil bootcamp! Also grappling lines.” Dawn was nodding her head, a wide grin spread across her face.

“That’s actually not a bad idea …” Clint admitted a few moments later. Having been raised in a circus himself (quite literally) he had an easier time seeing the merits. Natasha looked over at him assessingly for a few moments and then nodded her head in agreement. She’d go along with it if that’s what the group wanted, especially since she’d basically brought it on herself this time.

“Grappling lines could be interesting. We should get you new gauntlets, there could be a lot more than grappling lines.” Tony agreed, already sketching out ideas on his Starkpad. 

The jet landed back at the tower and Pepper was waiting for them. She brushed past Tony and took Natasha’s hands in her own. “I saw the news, are you alright?” 

“Of course,” the tilt of Natasha’s head with the slightly puzzled look had Pepper’s worried look melting into one of fond exasperation. 

“One of these days I’m going to have a heart attack and then all of you will feel terrible for making me worry and not even realizing _why_ I’m worried.” Pepper informed her decisively before lifting her brows at Tony’s pouting form. “Don’t give me that look.” She looked completely unimpressed with his performance, crossing her arms over her stomach and staring him down in her white dress and dangerously high heels. 

Natasha slipped past them as Tony began his snarky form of flirtation with the ever battle ready Pepper. The curvy SHIELD operative needed a shower and at least one dirty martini. She slipped into her suite and locked the door behind her, shedding her uniform (Widow Bites carefully stored and everything else placed into the laundry basket) and heading into the bathroom. She closed and locked that door as well before bothering to turn on the water. As she entered what passed as a shower in Stark Tower (it was so much more than a shower, really,) she noticed purple mottled bruising down her back and across her shoulders. Likely from the glass window. She turned her attention to the water and let the warmth seep into her muscles as she washed her hair, twice, to make sure there were no more bits of glass. 

Natasha stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel, snagging a second to start drying her hair. She stared at the fogged up mirror as she dried her hair for a few moments and then leaned forward to write “Winter Soldier” as she did every day. She did it so that she didn’t forget. Not that she ever could. There were too many memories, too many scars, both physical and emotional. Natasha had been Black Widow for much longer than others might believe and she had a hell of a lot of red in her ledger. She could wait though, her web was nearly finished, and then it would be time to show her face and watch all the little flies get stuck as they tried to get past her. She’d get him back, she would save him.

The assassin didn’t bother looking at her back again as she unlocked the door and walked out of her bathroom. She knew that most of the bruising had already yellowed.


	24. Track 23  - Cowboys and Angels by Dustin Lynch

People who didn’t know him thought of Thor as an oaf. He was super strong, had muscles covered in muscles, was graced with long blonde hair, and was usually seen with a genial smile on his face. He believed in enjoying life and so he celebrated the good times as they came and the mourned the bad times by celebrating the good times to come. Many humans considered him foolish, or simple, for his almost childlike joy in life. Those who knew him saw that he loved with all his soul, that he was more free in his emotions than any human could hope to be. His friends saw Thor, a being of passion.

Darcy hadn’t known Jane Foster for all that long before Thor had entered their lives, but Erik Selvig had told her not long after her internship began that Jane had been exactly what she seemed all her life. Jane cared about little other than her work, focusing on it to the exclusion of almost all else. She was brilliant and loved science with a passion most found distasteful. She was misunderstood, but didn’t dwell on it because she had something better than friends, she had _physics_. She hadn’t realized, then, how much she’d been missing.

The two of them, so incredibly different, completed each other in ways they hadn’t realized they needed. 

“Another!” Thor lifted his beer mug into the air, but didn’t crash it down as he once had. It was a custom of Asgard, not of Midgard. Beside him, tucked neatly against his side, Jane smiled and sipped at her own beer. She had never made the mistake of trying to outdrink her God of Thunder. She’d leave that to Natasha and Tony, they had a higher tolerance than she did. The waitress sashayed back to the table the Avengers had taken over, smiling prettily and brushing against his other side as she took the empty glass and went to fill a new one. 

“Want me to shank her?” Darcy asked, eyeballing the pretty blond and coming to the conclusion she could totally take Skipper in a fight. Jane smiled widely over at her one-time intern and now full time best friend. 

“The bar wench?” Thor frowned in concern, glancing over at the woman and back to Darcy. “Did she do something to offend Jane whilst I was speaking to Tony?” 

“She’d certainly like to do something that would offend Jane.” Darcy raised her eyebrows in mock innocence and Jane shot her an unamused look.

“I’m not offended.” Jane assured Thor, looking up at him with a blissful smile. She might not like the woman’s actions but she loved that Thor hadn’t even noticed her.

“Gag me.” Darcy downed the last of her own drink and looked over to where Clint was playing darts with Dawn. Dawn was winning, but Dawn was also cheating so it wasn’t that much of a surprise. The look of irritation on Clint’s face as he tried to figure out how she was doing it was adorable, and from the smirk on Natasha’s face she had to be in on it as well. The brunette should _probably_ go defend her manthing, but Jane was having a moment. Darcy might need to have a moment, shortly, as well. A whole different kind of moment, one which involved her tazer and the smell of burnt hair. 

“Come, in Asgard ladies stop such things with a very simple maneuver.” Thor was suddenly taking Jane’s drink and setting it down so he could pull her into his lap and settle an arm around her waist. Jane had a look of surprise painting her face and Thor just laughed and put her beer back in her hand. “Do not be afraid to mark me as yours, my Lady Jane.” His laugh was robust and had drawn attention from all across the bar (well, more attention. They were the Avengers after all) and now Jane was raising her eyebrows and shaking her head, an amused smile spreading across her face.

“My former Women’s Studies professor is somewhere ranting about equality right about now.” The woman informed him, looping an arm over his shoulder when the waitress returned with his full mug. 

“If you do mark him, be sure and do it in a place the uniform covers, the press will go crazy with pictures otherwise.” Darcy commented, motioning for a refill on her own drink. 

“Darcy!” Jane’s cheeks flared pink for a moment and her friend just smiled, completely unrepentant.

“Do not fear Jane, my body will heal any love bites you should choose to give me in very little time.” Thor promised, his grin now a bit sly as Jane groaned and hid her face against his shoulder. The move elicited another booming laugh from the Aesir and Jane just thumped the palm of her fist on his arm while he pulled her closer. 

Darcy smiled at them as she waited for her drink to come. Thor had almost died to make sure Jane would be fine and Jane had started taking better care of herself so she could literally move heaven and bring Thor back to her side. How anyone could ever think they had a chance with the big guy was completely beyond her. She stayed at the table, though, giving the waitress arch looks every time she glanced in big and blonde’s direction.


	25. Track 24 - Great Vacations by Dirt Poor Robins

Dawn was sitting on the edge of the balcony, looking out over the city as her legs dangled 50 something floors above the people on the ground. It was a good thing she’d never much been afraid of heights. That wasn’t entirely true, she’d maybe been nervous for a little while after the whole Glory fiasco, but that was understandable. Her arms were spread a bit, palms down on the ledge so she could lean back a little as she looked out over the skyline. Her eyes were half lidded and her mouth set in the faintest frown.

“People are looking for you.” The voice behind Dawn wasn’t quite so hesitant these days and she glanced over her shoulder at Bruce and quirked an eyebrow, her lips tilting into a vague smirk.

“I’m not hiding,” she told him, a little amused. Bruce came up beside her, resting his elbows on the wide concrete barrier which was supposed to stop people from falling over the side. 

“So what are you doing?” He asked, settling his glasses higher on his nose. Dawn grinned a little more as she watched him do that. Classic Giles Move 1: adjust the glasses firmly over your eyes when worried, as though it would give him better clarity. 

“Thinking.” Dawn pushed down the feelings of sadness thinking of Giles brought forth in her and then did the same with the now familiar anger. She had come out to take a breather far from her office, then she’d stayed for another half hour, probably worrying Darcy and Bruce. Which would explain why he had come up looking for her. 

“Is it alright to ask what you were thinking about?” Bruce questioned a moment later. 

“My Mom.” A soft smile spread across Dawn’s face as she thought about Joyce Summers. Just the idea of the woman made her feel better. She’d gotten over her anger at the death long ago, it had been unfair, but it had been better than being attacked by any of the demons they had fought since her passing. 

“Oh.” Bruce didn’t know what to say in light of that. He had loved his mother, but thoughts of her were wrapped in thoughts of his father. His childhood had been one of fear and screaming, his father beating his mother and his mother taking it as though she somehow deserved such treatment. She’d died too early and his father had been grief stricken for months before the well known anger had returned and he had started taking it out on his son. The physicist shoved the thoughts out of his head and took a calming breath.

“She would be proud of me.” Dawn commented decisively, pretending not to notice her friend’s face had pinched up in emotional pain for a moment. Bruce was a private person, shy and brilliant and very, very sad. “She always wanted Buffy and I to do things we loved. She said liking who we are as people and enjoying what we do for a living go a long way to make us good people. It was why she owned an art gallery; she loved art, even if it didn’t make her rich or famous.”

“She sounds like she was a good woman.” Bruce told her with nod, the hint of a smile on his face.

“She was the best.” Dawn agreed easily. “She’d love this place and she’d love all of you. She adopted all of our friends growing up, treating them like they were her children just as much as Buffy and I were. She loved being a mom more than anything, even art. She’d be here visiting as often as she could, cooking food for everyone, worrying about whether we get enough sleep and asking us about work. She’d take Steve to museums and drag you out of your office for yoga in the park, she’d ignore Tony’s snark and she would adore Pepper’s unflappability.”

“Yoga in the park?” Bruce asked with a grin. Dawn sent him a smile.

“I’ve been thinking about that one for a little while. It’s not good to be cooped up in buildings all the time and I know you enjoy yoga. We can go do it at Central Park on weekday mornings at seven.” Dawn offered, smiling over at his surprised look. 

“I think I’d like that.” Bruce agreed, a bit of hesitation in his voice, but a smile spreading on his face. 

“It’s a date. Let’s get inside before people start thinking I’m getting all emo on them.” Dawn swung her legs around and hopped back onto the balcony, looping an arm through Bruce’s and leading him inside, skipping just the tiniest bit. If Joyce Summers was somehow watching over her, Dawn knew she was proud.


	26. Chapter 25 - Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men

Tony worshiped Pepper. He was a flirty mass of movement, but his eyes were always searching for that calm ship in the midst of all his chaos. No matter where they were or what they were doing, if Pepper walked into the room Tony’s eyes found her. He was a comet and she was the sun, he was drawn to her gravity. She was everything good he didn’t know how to be, and he was just glad he had finally found the strength to voice his need to be beside her forever.

Tony came in from an Avengers mission sweaty and closed off to questions from anyone. He walked up the stairs to the top floor of the Tower, his and Pepper’s floor, and walked into their kitchen where Pepper was sipping tea and reading a book. He sat on the floor beside the chair and rested his head on her lap without saying a word. Pepper didn’t say anything for a few moments, running a hand through his hair and finishing the chapter. This was Tony feeling weak and vulnerable and he needed a moment to decompress. Pepper marked the page and set the book down before looking down at her fiance, Tony wasn’t looking up at her, he was staring out of one of the windows. 

“Let’s go take a shower,” Pepper suggested, waiting for him to take a deep breath and stand up. He held out a hand to the redhead and she wrapped her slim fingers around his calloused palm, letting him pull her out of the chair and down the hall to their bedroom. 

There was something incredibly intimate about washing one another’s hair, at least to Pepper. When Tony was in this kind of mood he didn’t try to even cop a feel or making suggestive comments, instead he focused on her hair. His fingers running through soapy strands over and over, oh so gently. Then Pepper would do his hair for him, giving him a scalp massage before rinsing all the soap off of the both of them. It was all so very domestic and once, not so long ago, domesticity of any kind scared Tony more than anything else. That was before he had realized he was worthless without Pepper.

Pepper led Tony to bed, crawling in first so he could rest his head on her chest and she could wrap her arms around him. She would get the details of their mission tomorrow, tonight she would hold the man she loved and try to keep his darkness at bay. She knew that Tony considered her the strength in their relationship, considered her to be the better person and the thought of others seeing him so weak scared him. What he didn’t realize was that when he considered himself weak for showing his darker side, Pepper just thought him that much stronger.


	27. Track 26 - Rock What You Got by Superchick

Dawn had never felt quite so free as she did during training. Tony had built them the official Avengers Playhouse (Fury refused to let them actually name it that, so it was being referred to as the “training facility” in reports) and now they could do all kinds of things. Things like throw themselves off a 100 foot drop, arms spread and smile on their faces. 

“Dawn!” Clint’s voice was almost using her name as a curse before she heard the zip line and a thickly muscled arm caught her around the waist and they were swinging rather than falling. She laughed in delight as she lifted a hand to grip the wire below Clint’s fist. “I wasn’t ready yet.” He informed her with a frown.

“Nu fi copil! You were almost ready.” Dawn told him with an unrepentant grin. He swung them to a platform and they disentangled themselves in moments. Today it was just the two of them training, Clint and Dawn being the two without super strength and agility, they had banded together and he was teaching her some of the tricks of the circus trade. High wire walking (he wouldn’t be happy until she could run across that rope), the Trapeze (he wanted her doing tricks one handed or footed with a blindfold) and general acrobatics. Thankfully she had fighting and tumbling experience as well as some ballet and had outgrown the gangly teen stage which had left her a graceless mass of limbs. 

“Sometimes I think you have a deathwish,” Clint sighed, a grin breaking across his face. There was no point in getting angry at her, she was obviously enjoying herself. They were bonding over it, the adrenaline rush and the knowledge their bodies could do these things.

“Sometimes I realize none of you know me very well.” Dawn agreed with a shrug as she looked over the side. They were about thirty feet above the ground, not bad. They could hopefully do better after a bit more practice though. 

“You’re catching on to this stuff pretty well for someone who hasn’t been doing it their whole life.” Clint told her, gesturing around the equipment. He looked her over for a moment, her gymnasts hand grips, sports bra and volleyball shorts baring many scars to his view. She had explained some of her background to them long ago, talking about her sister, the other Slayers, and explaining her own powers as best she could. Demons had been easier for some of them to accept than others, but it was still a hard sell.

“This is how I stay alive longer, that’s pretty good incentive to my mind.” Dawn told him with a grin, rolling her neck and then stepping forward and looking down before glancing sideways at Clint with a grin.

“I’m starting to dread that look.” Clint informed her half a moment before she stepped off the platform. Clint took a step forward and looked down, the younger woman had caught herself on one of the many ropes they had stretched across the room at varying heights. She had caught herself with her hands and was now swinging herself up so she could fling herself across to the more solid bar about five feet away. If she fell she’d land on the netting and climb her way back up to try again. 

“You find me darling!” Dawn called before she let go of the rope and slapped her hands against the bar before falling straight down and rolling across the heavy rope net that was there to keep her from splattering her brains on the padded floor. 

“Keep thinking that, kitten.” Clint called back, pulling his bow and shooting upwards to swing himself across to the far side. She was climbing high once more and he had a feeling she’d be tossing herself off one of the landings, cackling like a mad woman as she did so. He wouldn’t admit it, but this was actually kind of fun. 

 

(Nu fi copil - don’t be a baby - Romanian)

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be random snippets of life if Dawn were the linguistics guru for the Avengers. It became something a bit more random and more like a story >.>
> 
> Music makes my world go round and so I have dedicated this story to the random songs that inspired a random snippet of a scene for me. So please review and leave me songs you love because my taste is eclectic and I would love to hear new stuff!!
> 
> It was posted on TTH, but I find myself enjoying this site a lot more. So I'm reposting here with some minor edits (and a few major ones...) Also people are nicer here on Archive! I added my ridiculously awesome Beta (three cheers for Tiziano!!) as my Co-Author because she keeps me on point (to the best of her ability) and supplies me with cookies on occasion.
> 
> Why thank you! I too am becoming more of a fan of Archive! I've seen tons of positivity & support here! I love it! -Tiziano 
> 
> P.S. Cookies are on there way! ;D


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